'Sabre Dawn' - chapter one by Angela Jade Rated - NC-17 for sexual situations. Plot to follow. :-) e-mail - angela@yavin4.free-online.co.uk - constructive criticism and happy thoughts greatly appreciated ... please don't flame me! Feel free to post wherever, as long as it's got this spiel at the top. Disclaimer - recognisable characters belong to Lucas, Zahn, Stackpole et al. I'm making no money from this. Story - the sequel to my other fanfic, 'A Vision of Missing Moments' - Luke and Mara are married and have set off in the 'Jade Sabre' on honeymoon. Luke has persuaded Mara that they should do a quick fly-by of the Nirauan system to check on the Chiss. Written August 2000

Chapter 1 - bloody great dose of smut (they're on honeymoon - you expected something else??)

Slowly Mara drifted awake, her eyes closed, revelling in the warm relaxed feeling that refused to leave her body. She took a gentle breath and reached for her lover, one eye finally opening when she realised he wasn't there. Frowning, she lifted her head off the pillow - there he was, sitting on the floor with his back towards her, his tousled blond head showing above the edge of the bed. Mara sat up, pulling her sleep shift down over her thighs and pushing her hair behind her as she slipped over the edge of the bed and slid down behind him, delighted to see he wore only sleep pants. As she bracketed him with her legs, she ran her hands over his back and shoulders, enjoying once more the intimacy she had shared with no-one else. "Good morning." His skin was so soft, so clear, so warm; gently she kissed the nape of his neck, before continuing to stroke his back.

"Mara, I'm trying to meditate." As always, his wife's touch instantly turned his body into a flaming mass of sensation.

She smiled as she slid her hands down the length of his arms and back up again. "Oooh, Jedi Master is grumpy this morning." She settled a few delicate kisses on his back and ran her hands round his sides to caress his stomach. "Jedi Master should lighten up a bit." Her kisses followed the line of his shoulder-blade, and she could sense him smile. "You're a bad influence, Jade."

Her hands crept lower and started teasing the waistband of his pants. "We're on our honeymoon, Skywalker. There will be time to meditate later." Luke leaned back slightly and she was able to reach his neck and kiss it gently. As she nibbled along his shoulder, she continued running her fingers over his lower stomach, gently torturing him. "Right now, it's time to do something else."

"Eat?" suggested Luke, twisting his head slightly to look at her, a quizzical smile on his face.

"If you like," growled Mara, grabbing him and starting to stroke rhythmically. He sucked in a sharp breath as he straightened his legs, then pulled her round until she straddled his lap facing him, her hands on his shoulders, her eyes twinkling as she stifled a laugh. "I've told you before, Jade. Teasing is of the dark side."

She leaned in until their noses were almost touching, her eyes darkened with lust, her voice still throaty from sleep. "Who says I'm teasing, Skywalker?" Her breath had barely tickled his lips when she kissed him fiercely, her tongue tangling with his, her hands roaming over his chest.

Luke ran his hands from her knees to her thighs, then under her shirt. As he caressed her breasts, her rock-hard nipples reminded him of his own uncomfortable erection, and he pulled away slightly from Mara's ferocious kiss. "Mara, I..."

As usual, she could tell what he wanted. "I know." She freed him from the loose pants, stroking him firmly a few times before leaning in to kiss him again as she sank slowly onto him with a shuddering sigh. "Is that better?" she whispered.

"Much." As his hands rested on her rocking thighs, he buried his face between her breasts, inhaling the scent embedded in her shirt. Her scent. How could the smell of one person drive him wild when others didn't? The biologists claimed it was all chemistry; right here, right now, Luke was ready to believe anything anyone told him. As long as it didn't stop. He took another deep breath and started nipping gently at one breast.

Mara tilted her hips slightly to take him in a little deeper. "I can take the shirt off, if you want, Luke."

"No, leave it on," replied Luke, his voice muffled. He found the material brushing against his stomach inexplicably erotic. Finally he raised his head to see Mara grinning at him, her eyes dark, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she rocked rhythmically. His own breathing was faster now, especially when his gaze met hers. "You look absolutely gorgeous."

She arched her back and tilted her head backwards. "I love sex in the morning."

"Yeah, me too." He wanted to grab her hips, to make her move faster, but the last shreds of his control instead sent his hands creeping up to her breasts and he let her continue at her own pace.

"Oh, Luke," said Mara breathlessly, as she felt his mouth latch on to a nipple through the material of her shirt. She slid her fingers through his hair and quickened her movements, constricting her inner muscles rhythmically. They held each other tightly as they came. Luke took a couple of deep breaths, then he smiled as his eyes met Mara's. "I love you, Mrs Skywalker."

Mara stripped off her sleep shirt and lay against his chest, her hot, flushed skin touching his. "I love you, too."

"Do we have to get out of bed today?" "Yes, we do. And for more than just a shower and food." She glanced at the chrono on the wall. "We've got a course check in about two hours." Her breathing back to normal, she sat up to kiss his lips gently. "Let's get moving, flyboy." "Yeah. In a minute."

*****

Luke glanced up from his checklist for the umpteenth time to watch his wife. She sat in the pilot's chair, wearing a beige flightsuit cinched in at the waist, one slippered foot resting on the instrument panel as she frowned at the datapad in her hand. He smiled at the look of concentration on her face as she double-checked the NavComp calculations.

Finally she turned her gaze on him. "Skywalker, you must be the worst co-pilot I have ever flown with. Have you even started on the weapons and shields checks?"

"Umm, no, not yet." He grinned apologetically. "I find the captain rather distracting." Her lips curled into a tight smile. "I could always send you out on an EV line to check them manually."

He grimaced at her suggestion and forced his attention back to his job. "No need. I can do it from here."

"Glad to hear it." She continued scrolling through the figures in front of her, unwilling to admit that she also found his presence slightly distracting. Fortunately, she was more able to control it; no doubt one of the reasons she was captaining the ship rather than him. "Reversion in ten."

The warning was enough to make Luke concentrate on his work, and he soon had his checks complete. They both watched the timer on the main panel as it counted down to zero, then Mara firmly pushed forward on the hyperdrive lever. "Sublight speed attained." She typed on the NavComp keyboard, watching the small monitor intently. "Present position confirmed." She turned to smile at Luke. "You sure you still want to go to Nirauan? Last chance to change your mind." "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."

She frowned at him, then turned back to the monitor and typed on the keyboard. "Destination confirmed. Hyperspace in one minute."

Once they were safely back in hyperspace, Mara swivelled her chair to face Luke and stretched out her legs. "So, are you going to tell me how long you've been planning this little jaunt?" Luke turned to face her and bracketed her ankles with his own. "Not very long, although I have been trying to decide whether or not to tell NRI about the Chiss for a few weeks." He shrugged. "Hopefully this fly-by will help us decide what to do."

"Maybe, maybe not. Cracken's still going to have your head on a platter, whenever you get round to telling him." Mara's green eyes burrowed into him. "And now, Skywalker, you will tell me exactly what you plan to do once we're there. And how you intend escaping if we are spotted. You do have a plan, don't you?"

"Sort of." Mara put her hand over her eyes and sighed. "Do tell."

Luke tried the Han Solo patented 'trust me' smile. Mara's frown indicated that it hadn't worked, so he cleared his throat and started to outline his somewhat sketchy plan. "First, we're gonna arrive just outside the system, near an asteroid clump I found last time."

Mara almost smiled as she realised he was going to say 'when I came here to rescue you'. She wasn't nearly as touchy about her brush with the 'damsel in distress' persona now, but she wasn't going to admit it, especially not to Luke.

"We take readings on everything we can from there, then we do a mini-jump in-system. Hopefully, we can stay on the opposite side of the fortress."

"Assuming there is only one fortress. Then what?" "More readings," replied Luke, trying to get the idea of another fortress out of his head. "We scan everything. I know we said superweapons wasn't Thrawn's style, but Thrawn isn't there anymore and I've had one too many run-ins with Death Stars and SSDs to trust anyone. We'll spot anything that big from that far out."

Mara nodded gravely. "And what if they've just got hundreds of those little starfighters? They can outrun anything the New Republic can throw at them, and they'd be easy to hide down on the surface."

Luke grimaced. "That's why we have to get in closer to the planet." "I was afraid you'd say that."

"So, we decide where we're going after Nirauan, and pre-program the NavComp before we even get there. A couple of short jumps first should make it impossible for them to follow us." He looked at Mara expectantly, hoping she would agree with him. "Maybe we'll be so quick, they won't even notice us."

Mara's green eyes bored into his. "Do you really believe that, Skywalker?" He shrugged. "It's possible." "And Hutts might dance."

"Well, we'll just have to be extra careful, won't we." He rubbed his foot up and down her calf in an attempt to remove the skeptical look from her face. "Hey, it's us! The greatest Jedi duo in fifty years! We can handle a simple reconnaissance flight."

"Your confidence is reassuring, Skywalker, but you're not the one they were threatening to shoot in cold blood."

Luke leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Mara, if they try to take you, they get me too. That's the deal and they must have seen the newsvids to know it by now. And I honestly don't think they'll be in a hurry to tangle with both of us, not after what happened last time."

Mara let out a deep sigh, then nodded. "Only one thing left to decide, then. Where we're jumping to afterwards." She noticed the guilt emanating from Luke at about the same time as he started avoiding her gaze. "You're up to something. What have you got planned, Skywalker?" His blue eyes finally looked towards her again, an innocent smile crossing his face. "I thought we might stop by Endor, since it's relatively close by."

"Endor? Why in the galaxy would we want to visit Endor?" Her eyes narrowed as she felt the barriers in his mind increase a notch or two. "What is going on in that devious little brain of yours?"

"Why don't you tell me?" The challenge in his voice was unmistakable. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." One corner of his mouth quirked up. "Give it your best shot, Jade." Her eyes closed as she drew the Force to herself, reaching out to Luke's mind, looking for a hint of what he had planned. He resisted her, of course, holding off every mental attack she sent his way. Endor? Why would he want to go to Endor, a place that held painful memories for both of them?

Mara clenched her teeth as she realised that she was getting nowhere trying to break through his mental barriers. Fine - she could still use logic. What was on Endor that the Jedi Master might want to visit? Vader's last resting place? Possible but obvious; there was no reason for him to try to hide that. The Ewoks? Only if he wanted to try her patience to its limits. Did he want to check if there was still a shadow of the Emperor floating in Endor's orbit? Perhaps, although that also sounded like some kind of test...

Her eyes flashed open dangerously the instant she realised his motives. "You want to finish my training, don't you."

Luke forced himself not to shrink from her angry gaze. "Very good, Mara. I didn't even notice you get past my barriers."

"I didn't need to." She dampened down the fires of anger she felt building inside herself, but continued to glare at her husband. "It doesn't take a Jedi to figure you out, Skywalker." "Please don't be mad, Mara," said Luke, hoping he'd get the chance to explain his motives before she let her anger get the better of her. "I wanted to keep the ship a secret, and we knew we'd have to be alone to finish your training, somewhere that wasn't Yavin, so this seemed the best solution."

"That almost made sense, Skywalker." He sighed. "I'll try again. You're Jedi now, we know that. It happened when you gave the Fire, gave your freedom, for the good of the galaxy. So you don't have to go through the big self-sacrificing trial again." He paused, meeting her gaze with the intensity of his beliefs. "But there is a lot I can teach you, healing techniques, meditation techniques, control over yourself and others..."

"Oooh, I've always wanted to learn the mind-whammy thing!" "Mara! I'm serious!"

"And so am I," she retorted, leaning forward, her eyes blazing. "This is positively the last time you're going to survive deceiving me, Skywalker. You could have told me you wanted to finish my training. I would have understood; I can see how it's necessary. But to spring it on me five days into our honeymoon..." She threw her hands up in disgust.

Luke tilted his head on one side, a smile tugging at his lips. "To be honest, I thought you'd have guessed long before now."

Mara's eyes drifted over the ceiling panel and down the main viewscreen, before she finally met his gaze. "I suppose I should have seen it coming when you said you wanted a long honeymoon. We have never been alone for more than a few days before you break into 'teacher mode'." Finally she smiled, a rueful smile but a smile nonetheless. "And here I am, thinking you wanted to spend weeks and weeks in bed with me."

"Oh, but I do, my love." Luke grinned happily back at her, sensing her acceptance, her forgiveness.

"We could always go back to bed now," said Mara, a predatory smile on her face. Luke's grin faltered for only a moment. "Actually, I'm kinda hungry. Could we eat first?" Mara laughed as she stood up and left the cockpit. "Men! Can't handle the pace!" "But I'm starved, Mara," said Luke plaintively as he followed her. "I'll even do the cooking." *****

Mara sat at the table in the main lounge, watching Luke bustle about the food-prep area as he served dessert. She'd had enough to eat, really, but she enjoyed watching him try to please her with tempting sweets; especially when he'd done something wrong and was trying to make up for it. She found his need to over-apologise quite endearing.

"There we go, my love. Abregado qu'rsh berries in vezna sauce." Luke grinned and set a bowl in front of her with a flourish. He set his own bowl opposite hers and sat down, waiting for her to sample the sweet first.

Mara raised an eyebrow and lifted her spoon. "Qu'rsh berries? My, we were organised planning this trip, weren't we." She dipped her spoon into the delicate white sauce, scooping up a few of the succulent, red berries and lifting it to her lips.

"I thought you might like a few treats, that's all." Luke was acutely aware that he'd deliberately stocked several of Mara's favorite food-stuffs, mainly in case he had to ingratiate himself after some misdemeanour. "Do you like them?"

"Love them, and you know it, Skywalker." "Good." Luke smiled happily and started enjoying his own dessert. He jumped when something wet and squishy smacked into the middle of his forehead. A slightly over-ripe qu'rsh berry. Slowly, he looked up to see Mara covering her mouth as she silently laughed, a tell-tale red splodge on one index finger. "What was that for?"

Mara's snorts of laughter were starting to break through her fingers. "Just felt like it. You look pretty funny, Luke."

"Oh, I do, do I?" Luke carefully fished one of the berries out of his bowl, aimed, and flicked it at his wife. He was aiming for her nose but she turned her face at the last instant; instead, it landed on her cheek with a satisfying splat.

"You're gonna regret that, Jedi," she hissed, wiping the offending mess off her face. It was quickly replaced by another berry; Mara grimaced at Luke, who was now holding his sides and shaking with laughter. She pulled the Force to herself and concentrated on his bowl, levitating it above him.

Too late, Luke realised what she planned and the bowl up-ended and landed on his head, its contents running down his face and coating his hair before the bowl settled on top. He stood up, all humor gone from his face, and lifted his chin in what he hoped was a dignified manner; the bowl slid off the back of his head and bounced on the floor, leaving white sauce and red berry-juice plastering his hair and dripping onto his shoulders.

Mara fell off her chair, laughing hysterically. She was still convulsing, wiping tears from her eyes, when a shadow fell across her. She struggled to control her cramping stomach muscles and to clear her blurry vision. When her laughter finally subsided, she realised that she'd backed herself into a corner between the central fixed leg of her chair and the bulkhead wall. She looked up to see Luke looming over her, his head and shoulders still coated with his dessert, and carrying something in his right hand. A can. "What the hell is that, Skywalker?" He pinned her to the floor, one knee on either side of her waist. "My revenge. Chocolate cream." "No, Luke. No!"

He used his knees to pin her arms by her sides, his body-weight to make sure she couldn't escape.

"You wouldn't." Mara's eyes widened as Luke carefully unzipped the top few centimeters of her flight-suit. "A Jedi knows no revenge. A Jedi..." Mara's scream pierced throughout the ship as Luke pressed the on-switch and the can ejected its ice-cold contents down her cleavage. "I'm gonna KILL you!"

Luke fought to hold on to his struggling wife, grinning madly as he continued squirting the flavored cream down the front of her flight-suit. "You started it, Jade." "You evil, no-good, two-faced son-of-a-Hutt! You'll pay for this, I mean it!"

"I'm sure I will." Luke rolled the can away from them both then sat back to admire his handiwork, careful not to squash his wife. She was absolutely furious. Her face was bright red, her eyes blazing, and he was having to use all of his physical strength to stop her escaping. "You look absolutely gorgeous when you're mad, Mara."

Another stream of abuse left Mara's lips as she fought to free herself. "Skywalker, you are so dead."

Luke tutted and shook his head, grinning as several tiny droplets of vezna sauce dripped off his hair onto her face. "Now, now, my love. You are a Jedi; you should be calm, at peace." He ran his hands firmly over her breasts, from her breastbone to her arms, forcing the cream to spread under her suit.

"Calm?!?" sputtered Mara, wriggling uncomfortably. "You expect me to stay calm after what you just did?"

"Call it a training exercise," replied Luke, working the cream up her body until it started oozing out of the top of her flightsuit. He smiled as he dipped a finger between her breasts and hooked out a glob of chocolate cream, popping it in his mouth. "Mmmmm. My favorite." He scooped up another fingerful of cream and held it before his wife's face. "Want some?" "A training exercise, huh?" Suddenly Mara did feel calm; the calm she always felt when an idea entered her brain. A slow smile crossed her face and she forced all her muscles to relax. "Sure. I'll have some cream, Luke." She'd make him pay, alright. Turn him on until he was absolutely begging for release, then just walk away.

Luke's eyes narrowed. She was up to something. "Promise not to bite?" "Promise." She lifted her head off the floor and carefully licked the cream from his finger as sensuously as she could.

Luke watched entranced, turning his finger slightly so she could reach more cream. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he quickly dipped his finger into the cream again. "More?" he croaked.

Mara nodded, smiling as she felt his body's reaction, both physically and through the Force. She continued letting him feed her the chocolate cream, carefully judging when it was safe to free first one, then her other arm. Gently, she caught his hand in her own, meeting his gaze as she brought it slowly to her mouth. He shuddered visibly as she took his whole finger into her mouth and softly sucked.

Breathe, Luke thought. Remember to breathe. A Jedi needs oxygen. He took one last look at his wife's heavily-lidded emerald eyes, then closed his own as he leaned in to kiss her passionately, his tongue caressing hers, tasting chocolate and tasting her.

The intensity of his kiss slowly started to erode Mara's determination; she quickly pulled apart the front of his flightsuit and pushed it off his shoulders, relishing the familiar feeling of his warm skin under her hands. Revenge could wait; the feelings of love and lust Luke was projecting into her brain blew away every coherent thought. Her hands automatically tried to run through his hair, and she remembered fractionally too late that he was still covered in sticky dessert. As their frantic kissing continued, she pushed his hair away from his face, spreading the sweet sauce over his shoulders and chest.

Luke broke their kiss and drifted slowly down her body, kissing his way down her neck and licking away the traces of cream that speckled her shoulders. Mara writhed as he lapped the cream in the middle of her chest, and moaned gently as he started to clean her breasts with his tongue, studiously avoiding the nipples.

Lifting her head, Mara watched fascinated as raw animal lust took hold of her husband, and he fed reverentially off her body. She could feel the heat building inside herself, and when he lifted his head to meet her gaze, his blue eyes stabbed straight to the center of her libido. //Finish it, Skywalker//

He lowered his eyes, then lowered his head, his mouth enveloping a nipple; Mara's breath caught in her throat and her back arched into his touch. Luke moved his attention to the other breast, slipping an arm under her to hold her tightly to his body. Suddenly he stopped, his passion-filled gaze meeting hers once more. "Let's move."

"What?! Why?" He moved up her body until his lips almost touched hers, his heated breath mingling with hers. "I don't want you here."

A moment of complete silence passed between the two of them before Mara spoke. "Where do you want me?"

"I want you pinned against the shower wall, yelling my name."

Luke's memories of what happened after that swam in and out of focus. He could remember Mara's lips meeting his, her tongue demanding urgent entry to his mouth, and he could vaguely recall standing and pulling her upright. But he had no recollection of either of them undressing, or of what had happened to their food-covered clothes. He had swept her naked body into his arms, struggling to stop his knees from buckling under him when she licked the dessert from his shoulder and neck. The next thing he could remember was the two of them in the tiny shower cubicle, water raining gently on his back as he held her against the wall, his face buried in her neck as he thrust steadily into her. He smiled. She had indeed shouted out his name as she'd climaxed, the sound echoing off the plasteel-lined walls.

And now she lay in his arms, sated and asleep, her warm body curved into his, her hair damp and mussed, one arm slung across his chest. His gaze travelled over the sparse cabin walls; he'd only been on board the ship for five days, and already it felt more like home than either of his apartments on Yavin or Coruscant. Spending time alone with Mara, whether in bed or out of it, relaxed him more than anything else in the galaxy. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Okay, folks, that was the honeymoon - apologies if the smut squicks you out. Plot and angst kicks in during the next chapter. :-)

'Sabre Dawn' - chapter two by Angela Jade Rated - NC-17 e-mail - angela@yavin4.free-online.co.uk - constructive criticism and happy thoughtts greatly appreciated ... please don't flame me! Feel free to post wherever, as long as it's got this spiel at the top. Disclaimer - recognizable characters belong to Lucas, Zahn, Stackpole et al. I'm making no money from this. Story - the sequel to my other fanfic, 'A Vision of Missing Moments' - Luke and Mara are married and have set off in the 'Jade Sabre' on honeymoon. Luke has persuaded Mara that they should do a quick fly-by of the Nirauan system to check on the Chiss. Written August 2000

Chapter 2 - Nirauan (or, is that a plot I spy?)

"What are you reading?" Mara looked up from her datapad into the earnest blue eyes of her husband as he perched on the edge of their bed. Stretching her legs out and smiling, she turned the 'pad around and held it out to him. "Don't lose my place."

Luke grinned and took the proffered datapad, his smile slowly fading as he saw the contents. "Weapons specifications?" He scrolled back a couple of pages, then forwards again. "I don't recognise these. Where did you get them?"

"They're Karrde's. He asked me to check them over." "And you brought them on our honeymoon?" Luke thought he'd managed to put the right amount of hurt into his voice, but it obviously didn't fool his wife for a minute. "Amongst other things, yes. I know you've brought work along, too, Luke." She held out her hand for the datapad. "Anyway, you don't think I'm going to spend all my time in bed with you, do you?"

"Well, not all your time, no..." Mara tried to return her concentration to her studies, but gave up when she realised Luke was still watching her. "Are you bored, Skywalker?"

He paused, waiting for her full attention. "I've had an idea." She raised an eyebrow and tried not to smile. "Is that wise? You don't want to tax your brain too much, my dear." Luke studiously ignored her sarcasm. "There's somewhere I'd like to visit before we go to Endor." "Where?"

"Bakura," he replied. All hints of humor dropped from Mara's face. "That is definitely not wise, Luke. I thought the Bakurans didn't like you since you got their fleet involved in the Corellian conflict." She held up her hand to forestall the comment Luke was about to make. "It wasn't your fault Gaeriel died. But as I understand it, the Bakurans are happy to blame you for her death and for the loss of her ship."

"I know." His head dropped as he watched his hands clench and unclench a couple of times, then he looked up to meet her eyes once more. "I'd really like to check her daughter is okay, that's all. To let her family and friends know I'm thinking of them." Mara reached out and took one of his hands in hers, gently running her thumb over his knuckles. "Okay. I understand. I still think it's a bad idea, but I can see why you want to go." "Thanks." He squeezed her hand affectionately before standing up. "I guess I'd better go program the NavComp again." "How long until we reach Nirauan?"

Luke glanced at the chrono strapped to his wrist. "About eighty minutes. You'd better get ready."

By the time Mara joined him in the cockpit, Luke had finished the navigational computations and had started bringing all the scanners online. He whistled appreciatively when he saw his wife. "Now that outfit, I do like!"

"Mind on the job, please," said Mara sharply, but the smirk on her face hinted that the compliment was appreciated. She tightened her belt round the form-fitting black sleeveless jumpsuit and pulled open a small locker under the main instrument panel. "Here, catch." His lightsaber smacked securely into the palm of his hand and he fixed it to his belt. "I have no intention of landing, Mara. We don't need to be armed to the teeth for a fly-by." Mara snorted as she hooked on her own lightsaber and slid a vibro-knife into the sheath on her boot. "Yeah, so you say. I'm just going prepared." She rummaged in the weapons locker a little more. "You want your blaster?" "Are you taking yours?"

Mara didn't reply, merely raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'll take mine, as well," admitted Luke. "Stupid question, really." Mara tossed him his blaster still in its holster; he watched as she pulled out her own wrist holster and strapped it on. Luke had been pretty much surrounded by weapons since he first joined the Rebellion, and he had a healthy respect for the damage they could do. Having grown up on a planet where men were still expected to handle the firearms, he had been surprised to find out that many of the galaxy's best shots were female, including his own sister. Watching people arm themselves, in his experience, meant impending trouble and all the unpleasant memories associated with it. But watching his wife arm herself somehow held totally different connotations for him. The expression on her face and the determination in her stance as she checked the power pack on her hold-out blaster before slipping it into its holster were mesmerizing. He sat back in the copilot's chair, smiling gently as he watched her buckle on the holster for her Blastech, wishing he was the one fastening it round her thigh. Mara sensed his attention and looked up, smiling. "Mind out of the garbage-masher, Skywalker." She indicated the blaster and holster still sitting in his lap. "Are you planning on putting that thing on anytime soon." Grinning evilly, she ran a hand up his thigh. "Or is it concealing something from me?"

Luke caught her hand before it reached its destination. "You got enough weapons there, Jade?" She pouted, pulling back her hand. "Just about." "I dread to think what you'd be packing if we did intend to land." "A couple of proton grenades, a Stokhli spray stick, and a whole bunch of thermal detonators, for a start," replied Mara, leaning in to kiss him. "Not that I don't trust the Chiss or anything."

"I get the picture." As Mara sat in the pilot's seat, he stood and buckled on his own holster. "How long now?" "A few minutes." Mara pulled on her restraints and gestured for Luke to do the same. "And I would like to take this opportunity to remind you again that this is a bad idea." "The NavComp is programmed. All you've got to do is give it the start coordinates and we're on our way to Bakura."

"That makes me feel so much better." Her hand rested on the hyperdrive lever, her eyes never leaving the counter. "Have you got those scanners up, Luke?" "Up and running, as soon as we're sublight." Mara nodded. "Reversion in ten."

The instant she pushed the lever forwards, he flipped the set of switches to start the scanners. "All clear, so far."

"Good," replied Mara. "You said something about asteroids?" Luke glanced up from his survey of the system, squinting slightly at the main viewscreen. "There." He pointed to an area of space to their left. "I see it." Using the sublight engines, Mara steered the craft towards the tiny asteroid clump as it drifted slowly through space. "How far out are we from the planet?" "About seven hours, sublight." Still concentrating on the scanners, Luke was methodically searching every square unit of the Nirauan system. Finally he blew out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. "Well, unless they're hiding it behind the sun, there's nothing bigger than a fighter out there."

"Glad to hear it." Mara frowned as they neared the asteroids. "You took my ship in there?" she asked, glaring at him. "Karrde let you borrow the 'Fire', and you took it into that floating pile of rocks?"

Luke shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time." "Shields on low." Mara concentrated as she manoeuvred the ship. "I'll bet you got a few dents in it."

"Not at all," said Luke, quickly suppressing the memory of one small rock bouncing off the hull of Mara's precious ship. "You're a rotten liar."

"It's kind of a moot point now, anyway, Mara." Silence reigned as Mara settled the ship into a small gap she'd spotted, matching the speed of the surrounding asteroids. Finally she let go of the stick and leaned back in her chair. "We're in. Now what?"

Luke rubbed a hand across his face as he continued staring at the scan monitors. "We hang around here for a while, I guess. Then we can jump insystem." He sat back and closed his eyes, reaching out with the Force. "I'm not picking up anything." "Me neither."

Surprised, Luke opened an eye and looked over at his wife; she looked totally relaxed, her eyes closed as she also used the Force to search for lifeforms. He felt a pang of pride that she'd done it without prompting. "Do you want to calculate the jump?" "Sure."

Once Mara had the NavComp programmed, she edged the 'Sabre' out of the asteroid clump and pulled back on the hyperdrive lever for the mini-jump. Her eyes flicked once to her husband as he stared intently at the scanning equipment, before she brought them back to sublight speed, dialling the shields up to full strength. As soon as the hyperspace lines had coalesced back down into distant stars, Mara's gaze was pulled to the planet hanging in space before her. Nirauan. "You getting anything, Luke?"

"Nothing much, so far. Let's take her round on a slow orbit." Mara dropped the ship further towards the planet and slowly started circling it. "We'll be going past the fortress in a few minutes." A wry smile crossed her face. "You know, I don't feel half as bad about this place now that we're actually here. All that time we spent together, finally getting to know each other. Your marriage proposal. That fun journey home. I think the good memories are finally starting to outweigh the bad."

"Uh, Mara," interrupted Luke. "We've got company. One Chiss fighter, dead ahead." The comm crackled to life. "Identify yourself."

Luke's hand reached the comm switch fractionally before Mara's. "Baron Fel? Is that you?" "Skywalker!" The voice on the comm positively hissed with anger. "I owe you and your girlfriend a serious pounding for what you did to my squadron." "Mara's my wife now, Fel," replied Luke. "I heard."

"Then you'll also have heard that Thrawn's return was a hoax. We couldn't let you give all that information to the Empire; we did what we had to do." "You didn't have to destroy my ships, my hanger, my fuel dumps!" raged Soontir Fel. "We could have taken on what was left of the Empire and finished them! Instead we were left here, rebuilding what you so cheerfully wrecked!"

"I don't think you could have..." Luke's calm voice was interrupted by Fel's angry one. "And then, not two weeks ago, we find a flooded underground chamber with remains floating in it. Remains that turn out to have Thrawn's DNA." His voice turned sarcastic. "Well, you can imagine how happy the Chiss were about that!"

Luke winced, remembering the dead clone. "We didn't want to kill him. We had no choice..." "Well, maybe you should come down with me and you can explain your reasoning to Admiral Parck."

"Luke," cut in Mara's voice, as she gestured to the scan monitors, "more of them." "You have Mara Jade aboard?!" said Fel, incredulously. "This day just gets better and better." Luke ignored the acerbic comment. "I see them. Twenty ... no, at least thirty, coming straight for us. They'll take a minute to clear the atmosphere." "Have we seen enough yet?" whispered Mara.

Luke nodded, then leaned in closer to the comm pickup. "Fel, I'm sorry about what we had to do, but it was necessary. We haven't told the New Republic about what's out here and we don't intend to, as long as you leave us alone." Luke's voice became edged with steel. "But if you attack so much as one NR system, I will personally inform Ackbar of Nirauan's whereabouts and that fortress will be flattened before you can say grand admiral." "And what's to stop me blowing you out of the sky right now?" growled Baron Fel. "Oh, why don't you just do a weapons scan, you jumped-up fighter jock," bit out Mara, her hand already resting on the hyperdrive lever.

Soontir Fel howled with rage and immediately started firing on the yacht. The blue fire splashed harmlessly off the 'Sabre's' shields, then continued on into space as the Skywalkers' ship momentarily elongated and shot into hyperspace.

Once they were safely on their way, Luke leaned back in the copilots chair and smiled as he watched Mara scowling at the main viewscreen. "Was that last insult totally necessary?" "No." She turned to him, the corners of her mouth twitching. "But it was fun." She pulled a hand over her eyes and took in a deep breath. "I am so hyped up; I need to work off some energy."

"Really?" Luke swivelled his chair to face her and raised an eyebrow. "I can think of something that would help burn off a little energy."

Mara's face took on the expression of a predatory animal. "I don't want to screw you, Skywalker. I want to beat you to a pulp for ever suggesting we visit that damn planet." Luke held up his hands defensively. "Hey! At least we know they're not hiding a Death Star out there. And I'll check the scans again, but I saw no evidence of another fortress, or even of any more fighters than the ones that came up to meet us." "So far. They could build more."

Luke smiled. "Then we can come back and check in a few months!" "Now I really want to hit you." ***** Luke's breath left him in a rush as he landed on his back ... again. And once more, his wife stood over him, her hands on her hips, a triumphant look on her face. "Come on, Skywalker. You can do better than that. I thought those Rebels trained you in hand-to-hand combat."

Groaning slightly, Luke got back to his feet, eyeing Mara warily. "They did, best part of twenty years ago. I guess I haven't practiced as much as I should have." "That's fairly obvious." Mara prowled around him, looking for an opening. "Hands should be higher, and don't twist your hips so much."

"Yes, Master," said Luke with a sarcastic grin. "Of course, I'd get on a lot better if you let me use the Force." "Like I told you before, you should be able to defend yourself without it." She shot out a leg to try to take his feet out from under him; he dodged and tried to retaliate, but quickly found himself dumped on the mat anyway. "I thought this trip was supposed to be a chance for you to train me, not the other way around."

"You could try not to gloat quite so much," growled Luke. "Why should I, when it's such a lot of fun." They continued to spar, their voices echoing off the walls of the cargo bay where Luke had set up the matting; various other pieces of gym equipment were folded and strapped to the bulkheads. Luke's yell of triumph when he finally managed to better Mara was cut short when he hit the mat once more. Leaping up, he decided he'd had enough of unarmed combat and took off, running round the perimeter of the bay. Mara quickly followed, shouting derogatory comments in his wake as she tried to catch him.

After several laps, Luke returned to the matting, his hands on his knees and his head hanging forwards as he regained his breath. Mara quickly joined him, a smile on her face and her chest heaving.

"Have you worked off that excess energy yet, Mara?" She wiggled her shoulders uncomfortably as her breathing slowed. "Just about. You?" "I was perfectly calm over Nirauan. I don't have excess energy." "Perfectly calm. Yeah, right," replied Mara derisively. She flopped down onto the mat and indicated for Luke to join her. "You do realise that Fel and his little friends could have tracked our escape vectors and followed us. There's not much out here; they could easily figure out we're heading for Bakura."

Luke blew out a sigh as he sat down next to her, his arms resting on his knees, his thoughts darkening. "You think I might have put the Bakurans in danger?"

"No, I don't think WE have put the Bakurans in danger," replied Mara, deliberately putting emphasis on the plural pronoun. "I'm just wondering if they would follow us to try to take another pot-shot at us." She reached out and ran her fingertips along his jaw, forcing him to face her. "Luke, I've been thinking. I don't think we should land on Bakura." He flinched away from her touch, his head dropping onto his arms. "I have to see her, Mara. I have to face Malinza. I took her mother away from her..." "You did no such thing."

Luke raised his head abruptly, stung by her tone of voice. "What?" Mara closed her eyes against the pain he was emitting, and the look of betrayal in his gaze. "If Gaeriel hadn't brought the Bakuran fleet into the conflict, we wouldn't have won the war. And if we had lost, you can bet Bakura would have been high on their list of targets, anyway." She opened her eyes and smiled weakly as she pushed her fingers through his damp hair and slipped her arm around his shoulders. "If you and Gaeriel, and the rest of us who fought that day ... if we hadn't done what we did, Malinza and most of the Bakuran population would be dead, along with the rest of us. You saved them, Luke. You and Gaeriel." He was silent for a long moment, contemplating her words and the emotions she was projecting. Finally he acknowledged that she was speaking the truth, or at least one version of it, and the guilt he had carried within himself for over a year abated slightly. "Thanks, Mara." He smiled as he felt her arm tighten around his shoulder. "I still want to see her, though." Mara cupped his cheek in her hand and turned his head to face her. "Why don't we wait until we're there, then decide. If the Chiss come blasting out of the skies, we scram. If all seems quiet, we land."

"That's procrastination." "So sue me." His smile widened as his eyes met hers. "I love how you make the galaxy seem more logical." She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. "And I just love you." Her next kiss was longer, her hand caressing his cheek and neck, before sliding down to his chest and gently pushing him down onto his back.

Luke inhaled a sharp breath as her hand found its way into his shorts at the same time as her tongue probed his mouth. "I thought you didn't want sex?" His own hand trailed involuntarily under her t-shirt to caress her breasts.

"I didn't before. But I do now that I've beaten you up a bit." She nibbled his ear, her hand setting up a comfortable rhythm on his growing erection.

He took in a deep, shuddering breath. "Are you implying that hitting me turns you on?" She raised her head so she could look him in the eye. "Anything you do turns me on." A wry smile crossed her lips. "Especially if it involves you getting hot and sweaty, and showing off those delicious muscles you seem to take great delight in hiding most of the time." His stomach tightened as she straddled him and pushed up his shirt; goose bumps started to pucker his flesh. "Mara, I'm cold."

"You're always cold, Skywalker." She leaned down to kiss his navel and run her hands up his sides, creating even more goose bumps. Her eyes met his once more. "You want to move this somewhere else?"

He nodded, grinning. "Just somewhere with a little heating." Mara sat back, deliberately rubbing against the bulge in his shorts as she did so. "Shower?" Luke nodded again, catching his lower lip between his teeth. "Just what I was thinking." "I know exactly what you were thinking, farmboy." She stood up and offered him a hand, pulling him upright. "You have a filthy mind for a Jedi Master."

"When I reach your level I'll worry, Jade," retorted Luke. His breath was knocked out of his body as Mara jumped up, wrapping her arms round his neck and her legs round his waist. "Why do I always end up carrying you?" Holding her tightly, he started towards the exit. "Because if I was walking, I wouldn't be able to do this..."

His hand slapped on the door panel more forcefully than absolutely necessary, as Mara sucked at his neck. The corridor looked way too long; he set off at a run... ***** Dropping into the copilot's chair, Luke pushed his hand through his hair nervously. "Are we nearly there yet?" Mara frowned at him from the pilot's station. "That's the fourth time you've asked in the past hour." "And?"

She sighed as she checked the hyperspace counter. "Another four minutes." "Oh." Mara watched him as he unhooked his lightsaber and fiddled with it, chewing his bottom lip as he regarded the weapon intently. "We should leave our lightsabers onboard the 'Sabre' when we land," he said finally. "And our Jedi robes. I don't want to antagonize them." "You'll get no argument from me on that one," replied Mara, resting her hand on the hyperspace lever. "One minute."

Luke took a deep breath and gazed out at the whirling lights of hyperspace, before blowing out a sigh and pulling on his restraints. "Let's do it." As the counter reached zero, Mara pushed the lever forward and they shot out of hyperspace above Bakura. Glancing across at her husband, she realised he was gazing hypnotically at the azure planet that filled the viewscreen. "Luke," she said gently, "do you want to hail them?" "Huh? Oh, yes." He leaned forward and flipped the comm switch. "Bakura Control, this is Luke Skywalker on the 'Jade Sabre' requesting permission to land."

The response was a crackle of static; just as he was about to repeat his request, a curt voice replied. "Please repeat your identity." Luke threw a worried look at Mara. "Luke Skywalker on the 'Jade Sabre'. Is there a problem, Control?" Silence. "Permission denied. Commander Skywalker, I have to inform you that should you land on Bakura, you will immediately be arrested." "On what charge?" asked Luke, ignoring the use of his obsolete military title. "Illegal appropriation of government resources and conspiracy to murder," came back the crisp voice.

Luke slumped back in his seat, defeat washing over him, leaving only despair in its wake. He wouldn't be able to land; wouldn't be able to talk to Malinza, to explain what her mother died for. "Bakura Control, would it be possible to put in a ship to ground call?" Luke raised his head, surprised to see Mara staring intently at the comm speaker, waiting for a reply to her request.

"Jade Sabre, there's no reason why not, although I cannot see how that would help you avoid arrest if you land," replied the anonymous voice on the other end of the conversation. "We understand that we cannot land." Mara glanced across at Luke, her eyes full of sympathy. "We'd just like to let someone know that we wanted to." "Do you require a comm code, Jade Sabre?"

"Affirmative. For..." she looked questioningly at Luke, who immediately sat up a little straighter, a tiny spark of hope in his eyes. "For ... Lady Boble," he said. "Lady Boble," repeated Control. "One moment." The comm registered a waiting signal, and Luke and Mara sat back in their seats.

"Lady Boble?" asked Mara, her hand stretching out to connect with his. "Gaeriel entrusted her with Malinza when she ... when she left..." His voice tailed off slightly, before he took a deep breath and regained some of his strength. "I don't know if she is still Malinza's carer, but hers is the only name I have to go on. Unless we can trace Gaeriel's sister, and I can't remember what her name is." Mara nodded and squeezed his hand. "Lady Boble it is, then."

They sat silent for a long moment, until the comm buzzed to life. "Jade Sabre, we have one match for Lady Boble. Please leave this channel open." The comm gave a loud click, then a new, female voice could be heard. "Lady Boble's residence. May I help you?"

Luke cleared his throat and claimed his hand back from Mara, resting it on his lightsaber. "This is Luke Skywalker. I'd like to speak with Lady Boble, please." "Skywalker!" The voice sounded so full of venom that both Luke and Mara flinched. "What are you doing here? Haven't you done enough?!"

Luke tried to stop his voice from wavering. "Is this Lady Boble?" "No, it is not. I'm Chara, her sister. And I'm calling security right now." "I'm not on-planet, Chara," replied Luke. "I'd just like to know how Malinza Thanas is." "She's fine, no thanks to you," bit out Chara. "My sister is under permanent medical supervision after what you put her through, but the child thrives."

"I'm sorry to hear about your sister," said Luke, softly. "If I can help in any way..." "Just keep away from us, Skywalker," growled Chara. "You are responsible for the death of my sister's best friend, leaving her to bring up her child. The stress of caring for the one person who constantly reminded her of her loss was too much, and my gentle sister collapsed two months ago."

"I'm sorry." "Yes, so you said." There was a long pause, then Chara's voice cracked almost imperceptibly. "My fiance died at Corellia. I hold you responsible for his death, also." Luke put his head in his hands. "I wish there was something I could do to ease your pain, Chara," he whispered.

"Just go," she replied bitterly. "Malinza's with a foster family, and you will never find her. But if I ever get my hands on you, then your so-called Jedi skills will not stop me from causing you as much pain as you have caused my family." "I ... I'm..." He felt Mara's hand on his arm and looked up to see her gesturing at the scanner, before she flicked off the comm. "What is it?" "Company. We'd better get going, Luke," replied Mara.

Enhancing the zoom level on the scanner, Luke could just about make out the tiny spaceship speeding towards them. "It's got what might be TIE-style panels, but it doesn't look like the Chiss ship we have. What is it?" Mara was already punching coordinates into the NavComputer. "I don't know and I don't intend to hang around to find out. We're leaving."

Luke blew out a sigh and nodded, pulling on his restraints. "There's nothing else I can do here." Mara pushed the hyperdrive lever forward and the familiar blur of hyperspace took the place of the stars. "Let's just hope we get a better reception at Endor. You haven't done anything to upset the Ewoks, have you?"

Luke tried to smile, but his heart felt too heavy. "Not that I know of." Slowly Mara undid her restraints and stood up. "May I?" she asked, indicating his lap. Now a tiny smile did twitch the corners of his mouth. "Of course. Always." His mood lifted as she settled onto his thighs, burying her face in his neck. His arms automatically reached round her and hugged her close. "Go on. Say it." "Say what?" came back Mara's muffled reply.

"Say that you knew it was a bad idea to visit Bakura." She placed a gentle kiss on his throat, then lifted her head to meet his gaze. "Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. You feel pretty bad right now, but in a couple of days you'll feel better. Perhaps it was just something you had to do." He nodded, losing himself in her green eyes, his grip tightening around her waist. "My galaxy tour idea isn't working out too well, is it."

She smiled as she leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. "Endor will be better. I'm sure of it." She kissed him again. "Meanwhile, we have just over two days to fill." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Two days, huh?" replied Luke, grinning. "And what do you suggest we do for two days?" "Why don't we retire to our cabin to discuss it." ***** Chapter 3 - Endor

"The Force is your ally, Mara. Use it." They ran through the forest in perfect unison, arms and legs synchronized as they raced along. "Blast it, Skywalker! I am using it!" Her speech was much more breathless than his. "Now shut up and let me run."

"If you were truly using the Force, you wouldn't be out of breath," he replied. //Somersault// Mara concentrated for only a moment, putting Force-strength into her leg muscles as she leaped over the huge fallen tree in her path, turned over in mid-air, and landed solidly on the ground again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luke mirror her move exactly before they both continued pounding their way through the heavy undergrowth. Splitting her concentration, she focused on slowing her breathing and heart-rate, encouraging her body to make better use of the oxygen it was receiving rather than merely demanding more. "That's better." Luke grinned. He could tell he was beginning to irritate her, a deliberate ploy on his part to test her control and her dedication. "Don't you just love forests?" "I preferred Myrkr."

"Why?" he asked innocently. "Because we couldn't use the Force?" "No. Because I had a blaster pointed in your direction." "Now, now, Mara. Anger leads to hate, hate leads to..." "ENOUGH! Stop quoting that damnable Jedi Code at me!" //Under//

Even as the word reached her brain, Mara was already rolling sideways under the near-horizontal trunk in front of her. She allowed herself a moment of self-satisfaction when she realized she was on her feet and running fractionally before Luke.

"The Code is very important, Mara. It helps us to remember what it is to be a Jedi. It stops us from straying down the dark path." He grinned again. "Besides, I wasn't quoting the Code. That goes 'Peace over Anger, Honor over...'"

Mara let out a loud yell of frustration and sprinted ahead of him. "I swear I'm gonna kill you, Skywalker!"

He laughed then ran faster to catch up. "I've heard it all before, Jade. You love me too much to kill me."

Her smile was malicious. "Fine. I'll just maim you then." Luke clutched at his chest dramatically. "You wound me, my love. Truly..." He was cut off as Mara launched a roundhouse kick at his waist. Grabbing her foot, he twisted her leg, dumping her unceremoniously on the ground. "Had enough yet, Jade?" "After three days of training?" she growled. "I can take anything you throw at me, Skywalker." A nearby branch suddenly hurtled towards her; she held out an arm, neatly deflecting it before it even came close.

Luke nodded his approval. "Yup. Looks like you can." He offered her his hand. "Let's go back to the Sabre. I'm starving." Mara shook her head as she let him help her up. "You're always starving." They started running again, at an angle that would take them back towards their ship. "Actually, now that you mention it, I'm kind of hungry myself."

"I told you before. Using the Force gives you an appetite," replied Luke. "You don't think it might have something to do with the fact that we've just been running for four hours solid?"

"Could be." He glanced at her, smiling. "Is it your turn to cook?" "Nope. I produced last night's feast. It must be your turn." "I guess it must be," replied Luke with a grimace. "I don't suppose you'd like to eat out, would you?" His sidelong glance was full of hope.

Mara leaped high over a tangle of tree-roots before answering. "I said it before and I'll say it again. We are not, repeat, NOT going to visit the Ewoks. I can't stand them." "I've always found them quite friendly."

"The last time I saw an Ewok, he was pointing a spear at me," replied Mara. "What did you do?" "Shot the end of his spear off, the vicious little brute." She glared at Luke when she sensed his disapproval. "Hey, at least it wasn't his head."

*****

That evening they sat together on a fallen log, staring at their small campfire in companionable silence. The 'Jade Sabre' stood at the far side of the clearing, the powerful camo-net thrown over its hull making it near-invisible; absentmindedly, Mara wished they'd brought a smaller net to cover the collapsible shelter they'd decided to sleep in, which shone faintly green as the darkness deepened. She stretched, her muscles objecting to yet another day of physical abuse. "So, Master, how do you think my training is going?" Luke smiled at her, watching the firelight shadows flickering over her face. "Well, let's see." He started counting on his fingers. "You complain whenever I ask you to do anything. You argue about the meaning of the Code at every opportunity. You are continually trying to attack me and dump me on the ground. You contradict almost every statement I make..." He grinned widely at the frown that slowly settled on her face. "You're probably the best student I've ever had."

Mara snorted in derision. "Yeah, right. Like you wouldn't prefer one of the little sycophants at the Praxeum." She paused, sighing a little. "Sorry. That was uncalled for." "Yes, it was." Luke reached out and brushed his hand down her bare forearm, both annoyed at her remark and yet pleased that she'd apologized immediately. "You're doing fine, Mara. Besides, you're already a Jedi and you understand the Force better than most. I don't feel like I'm training a Knight; more like I'm training a teacher."

Mara stared at the crackling flames, watching them dance towards the star-speckled sky and trying to decide what words she should use to pick her way through this delicate conversation. "I don't think I'm cut out to be a teacher, Luke." His hand slipped comfortably into her hand, his fingers weaving their way through hers. "We learn something from everyone we meet. Therefore, everyone's a teacher." She twisted her head to meet his eyes, trying unsuccessfully to smile. "You know what I mean. I don't want to teach at the Academy. Not full-time, anyway." "I know." He squeezed her hand gently. "But you're going to be in contact with Force-sensitives so often, you'll have to know how to answer their questions. My students, when you're on Yavin. Leia's children..."

His unguarded thought had initially sneaked its way into her head without her noticing it. "And our children?" asked Mara, quietly echoing the notion she now found in her brain. He nodded, unable to speak immediately; his grasp on her hand tightened. At last he found his voice. "I need to know, Mara. Do you want children? I won't mind if you say that you don't - it's you I love, you I want to spend my life with." Now that he could finally express the anxious thoughts that had frequently raced unbidden through his head, he found the words tumbling over each other. "I mean it - you make me happier than any child ever could. I can't live without you; I don't want to live if you're not here, by my side. But I have to know..." She lifted her free hand and gently pressed a finger to his lips. "I don't know about 'children', Luke..." The crestfallen look on his face almost broke her heart. "...but maybe we could start with one, and then see how it goes from there."

It took a long moment for her words to sink into his brain, but finally a smile blossomed on his face. "You mean it?! You'd like a child?" "Whoa, Skywalker. Not right this minute." She caressed his face, his innocent smile irresistible, his happiness infectious. "I'd like some time with just the two of us first. Through our bond I know a great deal about you, yet I don't feel like I truly know you, the you that has become my husband as opposed to the you I first kissed on Nirauan. We're both different people now..." Her breath left her in a rush as Luke launched himself at her and pulled her into a tight hug; the elation he was projecting brought tears to her eyes. "Anytime you feel ready, my love," he whispered, as he slid to his knees in front of her. Smiling, she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "I'll let you know." Her face clouded slightly. "Although, I have to admit I'm not looking forward to that menstruation thing when I come off the meds. I've heard it can be pretty unpleasant."

Luke slowly raised his face to meet her eyes, his frown reflecting hers as her dark thoughts became his. "Mara," he whispered, "how long have you been on repress-meds?" She shrugged hesitantly. "I'm not sure, exactly. Since I was about eight, I think." "Oh, Mara." His arms slipped behind her knees as his head dropped to her lap, his eyes squeezing shut against the tears that threatened to fall at yet another injustice perpetrated upon her.

Absentmindedly she stroked his hair, her gaze drifting off into the distance. "I found out later that he ... umm ... he didn't want any distractions for me." Her voice was a whisper, as it often was when she talked of her former master. "No teenage hormones, no mood swings, no monthly ... diversions. By the time he died I was so used to having the shot that it never occurred to me to stop."

His voice was muffled by her thighs. "Mara, I'm sorry." She looked sharply down at him, as if suddenly remembering that he was there. "You're sorry? For what? Sorry that I missed out on all the pain and inconvenience? I'm not." He raised his head and she was surprised to see that his eyes were not full of the pity she'd expected. Instead, they shone with anger. "I'm sorry it took me so long to kill him." "Thank you." She smiled a little hesitantly. "Although I seem to remember you said that Vader killed him, not you."

"Stop changing the subject. I'm no doctor, but even I know that putting children on repress-meds is dangerous and can cause long-term damage. We should get you checked out at a med center as soon as possible."

"So that they can take me off the meds and you can impregnate me? No way, Skywalker. I'll wait," she said with a shudder. "Mara, I'll have the shots, if you want. I've had them before." He gently ran a hand up her thigh. "Until you're ready to..." "You've taken repress-meds?" Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "Do tell." He tried to shrug nonchalantly, but it didn't quite work. "On and off since I set up the Academy." No need to mention names. "And it was ... umm ... recommended when I flew for the Alliance."

"Recommended, huh?" She watched him in silence, determined to fight the grin that threatened to split her face. Finally she shook her head. "The Force save us from randy X-Wing jocks." "Randy!?!" His mouth opened and closed in indignation. "I was not randy!" She grabbed a handful of tunic, yanked him close and kissed him soundly, her hand sneaking down his stomach towards his crotch as her tongue stroked his. Her grin was positively feral. "You are now."

His eyes flickered closed for a moment, before he pulled her tightly to his body and ravaged her mouth with his. Finally he rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. "Are you still trying to kill me, Mara?"

"Not unless you want me to." "I can think of worse ways to go," he growled quietly. "Luke, I..." she paused, gathering her thoughts. "I need you. Tonight." A shaky breath. "I feel like I've faced some demon or monster or something, and I need to feel you, to have you close. I..." His arms were around her once more, as his lips met hers, frantically trying to drive away all her fears, her nightmares, the horrors that had occurred so long ago. Finally Mara shoved him none too gently down onto the mossy ground and straddled his stomach, tugging impatiently at his tunic as she continued kissing him. "Why can't you just wander about in nothing but a Jedi robe, Luke," she muttered. "It would make my life a lot easier." Eventually the tunic gave way and was flung unceremoniously over her shoulder. "Umm, Mara..." He paused as her mouth settled on a nipple. "Shouldn't we at least take this inside the shelter?"

She kissed him, her tongue dipping in gently to meet his. "Why?" She smiled before she continued stripping him. "You're not afraid of a few bugs, are you?" His eyes flicked left, then right. "Depends on how big they are." Mara laughed as she pulled off her own clothes, before settling back on top of him. "I told you, Luke. I need you. Now. And no bug is going to stop me from having you." She pinned his arms by his sides as she started nipping gently at his stomach.

Luke felt her strength in the Force increase, and suddenly he was immobilized, his whole body held firmly against the soft ground. He knew he could easily break the Force-bonds, but now his wife had gone down on him and he was abruptly unwilling to free himself. The sensation of leaves and twigs beneath him faded as heat spread throughout his body and his mind spiralled ever upwards. Just as he thought he would explode, Mara was kissing her way back up his body, nuzzling his stomach, nipping at his sides, claiming every centimeter of his skin with her mouth.

"Luke, I..." Her breath left her in a rush as he shattered her bonds and pushed her onto her back, covering her body with his as his mouth settled on one nipple. She moaned as her back arched into his touch.

He trailed kisses across her collar bone and up the smooth skin of her neck. //Mara, let me help you// He pushed apart her unresisting thighs and entered her in one smooth stroke, his head falling onto her shoulder as he shuddered with pleasure. //Please let me help you. To forget...//

"You are helping me, Luke." Her hands pressed down at the small of his back, pulling him in deeper. "Oh, yes," she muttered through gritted teeth, "this is definitely helping." He lifted his head, his blue eyes meeting her gaze, piercing her soul. "I wish I could wipe out the bad memories."

Her muscles tightened around him as she kissed him fiercely, not even allowing him the breath to moan. "You are." Her own breath was coming in ragged gasps as she stretched and writhed beneath him. "I want lots more of these memories..." Her arms squeezed him in a vice-like grip. "...to replace the old ones." And then she could talk no more as he pushed her higher and higher, his mind caressing hers just as his body worshipped her. Their gentle cries of ecstasy rang out into the balmy evening air.

*****

"Are you sure about this, Luke?" asked Mara, as she carefully kicked over the remains of their campfire with the toe of her boot. Out of sheer habit, she pulled grass and leaves over the charred spot until it was completely covered.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's just something I want to do while we're on Endor," he replied, without meeting her questioning gaze.

"I know you want to visit Vader's last resting place..." "Anakin," he gently corrected her.

"Sorry, Anakin's last resting place." She walked over to where he was stuffing supplies into a box and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I just wondered if you really want me along." He stiffened at the touch of her hand, then spun round and swept her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. "Oh, Mara, of course I want you there. I think I need you to see it, to share it with me."

Stroking his hair, she hugged him tightly. "Then of course I'll come with you." She lifted his head, kissing his cheek. "I'd be honored." "Thank you." He softly kissed her mouth. "I love you." "I know. Now let's get this mess cleaned up and we can go."

An hour later, they were speeding over the tree-tops in the Jade Sabre, Mara once more in the pilot's seat. She glanced over at Luke as he stared intently out the forward viewscreen. "When was the last time you came here, Luke?" she asked gently.

"About three years ago." He shrugged. "I used to visit more often, but I've been so busy lately, and there seems to be less and less of his presence there every time I come..." Mara merely nodded, her lips a thin line. Luke studied her for a long moment, then leaned across and laid a hand on her thigh. "You never did tell me, Mara."

"Tell you what?" Her gaze never left the viewscreen. "You didn't tell me if you felt the Emperor at all." He waved a hand towards the sky. "When we first arrived, you flew more than a hundred orbits round Endor. And you wouldn't tell me if you could sense him or not."

Mara's grip on the flight stick tightened until her knuckles shone white. "Maybe I still don't want to talk about it." When he didn't reply, she finally glanced over; he was watching her with the calm serenity that normally drove her crazy. "I felt nothing," said Luke, carefully watching her expression. "I just wondered if you did." Her expression darkened as she turned back to face forwards. "I ... I don't know," she finally admitted, shrugging helplessly. "There was definitely nothing like I felt before, no overpowering sense of evil, of ... him." She blew out a sigh. "But I still felt ... something. Like someone I couldn't see was watching me." Suppressing a shudder at the memory, she automatically slammed up her mental barriers. Something up there had made her feel uneasy and made her danger sense tingle. Something malevolent. The Emperor? Perhaps. Or maybe she was just paranoid, sensing things that didn't exist. Certainly that would explain why Luke had felt nothing...

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" "I told you, Skywalker. I didn't want to discuss it." The anger in her voice softened only slightly. "I still don't." Her gaze settled on the coordinates scrolling slowly across the NavComp. "We're nearly there. You want to find somewhere I can set down?" "Okay. Sure." Recognizing that she'd just signalled the end of their conversation, he returned his concentration to the vista below. Suddenly he stiffened. "There. That's it. Just land at the edge of the clearing."

Mara followed his pointing finger, wondering at the certainty in his voice. "Are you positive?" "Yes. That's it."

The 'Jade Sabre' swung round in a wide arc before settling down gently at the edge of the glade Luke had indicated. The repulsors were barely deactivated when Luke was pulling off his restraints and heading out of the cockpit; he quickly opened the hatch and walked slowly down the ramp. Mara watched him through the forward viewscreen as she finished the shutdown, then followed him.

She found him a little way from the ship, staring into the middle distance. Slipping a hand into his, she laid a cheek on his shoulder. "It was here?" He nodded, his lips pressed together. "I brought him down in a shuttle; landed just over there." He pointed to a small clump of thick-set trees to their right; Mara didn't ask how he could be so certain, when the landscape was bound to have changed in such a long time. "He was dead by then, of course. Couldn't survive long without his helmet." He sniffed and Mara's hand tightened about his.

"What happened, Luke," she whispered. He shrugged, still unable to look at her. "He was so heavy and I felt so weak ... I don't know how I got him out of the shuttle, let alone on top of the pyre I'd built. But I did. I had to; it was the one thing I could do for him as his son." Finally he met her gaze, his blue eyes bright. "I was right, Mara, there was good in him. No-one else believed me: Yoda, Obi-Wan, even Leia, when I told her later." His eyes returned to the scene only he could see; Anakin Skywalker in the guise of Darth Vader, his body being consumed by the flames of a funeral pyre. Finally his lips tilted in a tiny smile and his voice dropped to a barely-audible whisper. "I knew for certain he was good when his robes collapsed and his body disappeared." Mara slipped her arm around his waist. "He must have been a wonderful person when he was younger, Luke."

He frowned at her questioningly. "What makes you say that?" Her shrug rubbed against him. "Number one, even after what the Emperor must have put him through, after all he'd done in Palpatine's name, after eighteen years of being in the grip of the Dark Side, Anakin still had good in him. That implies to me that he had a lot of good to start with." "And number two?"

Smiling, she cupped his face in her free hand. "He produced you. And you're the most wonderful person I know." "Thank you." He kissed her forehead lightly. "You're pretty terrific yourself." They stood in silence, the sounds of the forest drifting over them as they contemplated the peaceful little clearing.

Mara figured they'd only been standing there for twenty minutes or so; she was surprised to see more than an hour had passed, according to the Sabre's chronometer. Flipping the switches that would bring the repulsors and sublight engine online, she was pleased to see Luke happily engrossed in the NavComp; she had been a little worried that visiting this place would sink him into a depression. She dropped into the pilot's chair, grinning. "So, where's the next stop on the Skywalker Mystery Tour, then?"

"I have no idea," he replied, tilting the tiny monitor round so she could see it. "Where would you like to go?" Mara studied the small cluster of systems displayed on the map. "We could visit Hoth. I haven't been skiing in quite a while..." Her teasing was cut short by Luke's glare. "Okay, maybe not. How about Bespin?" "Why Bespin?" queried Luke.

"Why not? I'd just like to get back to somewhere civilized, that doesn't have all this..." She looked out of the viewport and waved her hand disdainfully. "...nature." He smiled at her, shaking his head. "Fine. Bespin it is. Cloud City has some pretty fancy hotels these days, I believe."

Mara nodded enthusiastically. "And the nightclubs, casinos, and theaters aren't too bad, either." She brought the repulsors up and the sleek craft drifted sedately into the air as Luke programmed in their next stop. "Better bring up the scanners, too. Just in case." "Already done."

"Jump in twelve minutes," said Mara, watching her instruments carefully. "Let's all wave bye-bye to Endor. At least it was a nice relaxing visit this time, unlike some other..." Suddenly a strong blue pulse of light sizzled past the viewport, causing Mara to jump and swerve the craft in a tight loop. "What in blazes was that?!" Luke's face was tight as he slapped the shields to full-strength and checked the setting on the Sabre's lasers. "It wasn't friendly, that's for sure. Ion cannon. Ground-based, I think." "Ground-based? On Endor?" Mara kept the ship dancing and jinking even as she tried to figure out where the shot came from. Another shot leapt up from the trees, missing them by over a kilometer. "Who the hell is down there, apart from the Ewoks?" "No-one, as far as I know," replied Luke. "The NR promised not to colonize the place." Another bolt, farther away.

"Try to hit my ship with an ion cannon, would they," growled Mara, bringing them round to face where her instincts and her instruments told her the weapon was. "I'll show them..." "Mara, don't." Luke's voice was quiet as he placed a hand gently on her knee. "They're rotten shots; they'll never hit us."

Sure enough, another blast headed into the stratosphere, not even coming close. Mara took a deep, calming breath, clearing her mind until she could see the reality of the situation, unclouded by her anger. "There is no-one else down there, is there. Someone's gone and armed the Ewoks."

"Sure looks like it," replied Luke. "I just can't figure out why they'd do it..." His eyes met Mara's as the same thought speared their brains. //Diversion// Mara pulled the Sabre into a stomach-churning course-change, skimming at high speed over the Endor tree-tops, while Luke quickly cycled the scanners through their pre-programmed ground and atmosphere checks.

Mara felt Luke's tension through the Force fractionally before she heard his breath hiss between his teeth. "What is it?" "Looks like that weird-looking fighter we picked up over Bakura. It's right behind us; twenty klicks and closing fast." Mara risked a quick glance at him, before returning her concentration to the instrument panel. "You want to fight or run?" "Run. NavComp's programmed. Just get us far enough out of the gravity well and then..." "I CAN fly, Skywalker," she retorted, yanking angrily on the stick to take them soaring towards the outer edge of the atmosphere. "Sorry." Green laser light splashed over the rear shields and Luke swore softly. "They're gaining." "Not for long." The Jade Sabre broke free of the little moon's stifling atmosphere and suddenly accelerated. Mara glanced at the hyperdrive counter. "Keep 'em off for two minutes." Revelling in the power of her sublight engines, she pushed the little ship as hard as she could, trying to ignore the lethal laser bolts shooting past her viewscreen. "At least the ion cannon's stopped."

"For now." There was a tautness to Luke's voice that hadn't been there previously. "Shields down to 83 percent." "What?!" exclaimed Mara incredulously. "From one hit?! I thought you said the shields on this thing were good?"

"They are," replied Luke grimly. "I got them from Karrde." He armed the lasers, his jaw hardening as he prepared to return fire. "This guy's obviously got some serious firepower onboard." Another shot rocked the entire ship. "Shields at 64 percent," reported Luke. His hand gripped the rear quad-laser control and squeezed the fire button. A cycle of deadly red laser bolts spat towards the craft on their tail, dissipating as they reached its shields. "Hold on, here we go," said Mara, and pushed the hyperdrive lever forwards, blowing out a sigh as the stars blurred around them. She rubbed her fingers over her eyes, then raked them through her hair before swivelling her seat to face her husband. He was looking slightly the worse for wear, his face flushed and his hair straggling over his forehead. "What do you think that was all about?" he finally asked. She slumped in her seat, her neck tilting backwards until she was staring at the ceiling. "Don't know. Someone who wants one or both of us dead, I guess." "That sure narrows it down." "Not funny any more, Skywalker."

He shrugged. "I don't know who it was, Mara. My best bet is that one of Fel's goons managed to follow us to Bakura and then Endor." "It didn't look like a Chiss ship," replied Mara, watching him carefully. "You didn't get any reading on the pilot?"

Luke shook his head, dislodging more hair into his eyes. "Didn't have time. And just because we didn't recognize the ship as Chiss, doesn't mean a thing. We don't know enough about their technology to say exactly what they've got, but it definitely had those TIE-style wings." "I'm not convinced; lots of ships have Imperial designs, especially those built recently, although..." Luke caught her somber thought. "What?"

"If whoever-it-is managed to follow us to Endor, what's stopping them from following us to Bespin?" "Nothing, I suppose, unless you want to try dropping out of hyperspace early and heading somewhere else." "I'd rather not."

Luke tucked his feet under his chair and swivelled it from side to side, trying to shrug off the feeling that they were flying into more danger. "You think they might try to follow?" Mara shrugged. "They seem pretty determined. If they're prepared to give an ion cannon to a bunch of Ewoks, then who knows what they're capable of." "Maybe they're not responsible for arming the Ewoks." "It's a bit of a coincidence, don't you think?" She watched Luke carefully to see what he would suggest.

Finally he stopped moving his chair and met her eyes for a long moment. "Do you want to go back to Coruscant?" "No." Her eyes narrowed as her fists clenched in her lap. "It's going to take a lot more than one fighter to cut short my honeymoon." "I'm glad we're agreed on that point, at least," replied Luke. "We should go over the scanner data, to see if we can figure out who or what it is," said Mara, her eyes drifting over the instrument panel as she slowly started to relax. "And make sure the shields and weapons are optimal."

Luke nodded and tried to smile reassuringly. "Cloud City's got some pretty powerful defenses these days. I'm sure we'll be fine." "Fine. Sure." A smile finally broke through Mara's frown as she shook her head. "I just love being married to an optimist." ***** Chapter 4 - Bespin

The bright, white light that was dawn on Cloud City powered its way through the hotel window and slowly crept across the floor as the sun rose. Abruptly changing direction when it reached the bed, it finally encountered the long tangle of red-gold hair that dangled over the side, and then shone straight into the face of Mara Jade. Swearing vehemently in Huttese, she turned her face away from the offending light, her arm brushing against her husband's side. "No, Mara, please! Not again," he muttered. "I need to sleep."

The corners of her mouth curled upwards into a sly smile at his words, and one green eye opened. He was still asleep, lying on his back with one arm near his face, the other draped across his bare chest. The stark, white sheeting, apparently compulsory in every Bespin hotel Mara had ever encountered, was pushed down to his waist, almost but not quite camouflaging his morning erection. "C'mon, farmboy," she whispered. "Let's do it again. Please?" "No," he mumbled, still unconscious. "Tired."

Propping herself up on one elbow, she gently bit her bottom lip as she watched him sleep. Gorgeous. She still found it incredible that for ten years she'd never had the urge to share her bed with him, yet now she lusted after his body almost constantly. Firm muscles over a compact frame, with a delicate tan that, since their visits to the hotel solarium, covered every centimeter of his body... She licked her lips predatorily, before leaning forward and tracing the outline of a nipple with her tongue. Tiny muscles responded automatically and the flesh obediently stood to attention, but Luke slept on.

She could always wake him up and... "No, too early," Mara mumbled, before settling her head on his warm chest and drifting off to sleep once more, her hand resting lightly on the prominent bulge of the sheeting.

"Mara?" She smiled but didn't open her eyes. "Mmmm?" Luke's voice was throaty and not altogether steady. "What are you doing?" "Sleeping." She felt his erection twitch under her hand. "Sorry, do you want me to move my hand?" "No, no, that's alright. You can just ... umm ... leave it there. If you want." "Okay." Mara tried to relax again, wondering how long it would take him to make his move. In fact, she'd almost dozed off when she felt his hand gently sweep round the curve of her breast, his thumb stroking her nipple to life.

"Mara," he whispered as his hand followed the contours of her waist and hip. "Do you want to take a shower?"

Sighing happily, she twisted her head until she could look at him, her chin resting on his chest. "A shower?"

Strands of mussed red-gold hair fell over her face, but couldn't hide the twinkling green eyes and mischievous smile. Gods, he loved her. Especially when she was massaging his... "Yes, a shower. In the shower room. With me. Please?"

"Oooh, beg some more, Skywalker." She wriggled up his body and pressed a kiss to his chin. "You sure you're not too tired?" "Tired? Why would I be tired? I've only just woken up." His arms wrapped around her and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. "C'mon, let's shower." An eyebrow twitched. "Real water. No sonics."

"It's the water, isn't it," replied Mara, as he lifted her into his arms and swung his legs out of the bed. "Moisture-farm boy gets turned on by water." Luke kissed her again as he stood up and started carrying her towards the shower room door. "Nope. It's you naked and wet that turns me on." The door zipped open and he carried her through and set her carefully down under the shower head, activating the privacy shield with one elbow. "Although, now I think about it, you fully clothed and dry turns me on, too." Mara took a step backwards and started the shower, eyes closed and a cheeky smile on her face as she tilted her head backwards and let the warm water cascade over her head and shoulders. She fully expected Luke to ravish her instantly, and was a little disappointed when it didn't happen. Finally, she opened her eyes; he was leaning against the opposite wall, his arms crossed tightly across his chest as he watched her intently with dark eyes. "You are so beautiful," he breathed.

"Watch," whispered Mara, smiling enigmatically. She squeezed some cleanser into her hand from a bottle attached to the wall, turned her back on him, then washed her hair. The suds rinsed off her water-dark hair, slowly following the curves of her waist, behind, and legs. More cleanser. She turned to face him again, sensuously rubbing the oily soap into her skin: arms, breasts, stomach, thighs. She met his intense gaze with one of her own as she slipped a finger into her folds...

Barely able to control his own desire, he watched her pleasure herself, unable and unwilling to look away. When her mouth dropped open and a tiny shudder rippled through her body, his hands descended to his throbbing erection and he started stroking himself towards his own completion. Her eyes fluttered shut at the spectacle before her. "Luke..."

He was on her in an instant, pressing her against the wall, his mouth hungrily finding hers as his hands roamed over her body, slipping over the wet skin. "Gods, Mara, I want you." Her hands gripped his shoulders as he lifted her to a more convenient height and suckled frantically at her breasts. She arched her back gently and ran her fingers through his now-dampening hair, sighing his name as she carefully hooked her legs behind him. "Please, Luke. Just take me. I can't wait much longer." She could feel his hands tighten on her buttocks, could feel the smooth wall sliding on her back as he lowered her a few centimeters, then he was in her, filling and stretching her as he whispered her name over and over.

"Sith, that feels good," she moaned, dropping her head to his shoulder where she could lick and suck at the wet skin. Her thighs tightened with each thrust and her breathing came in louder gasps. His voice whispered quietly in her ear. "You are the most beautiful, talented, amazing woman I have ever met. Sometimes I want to put you on a pedestal and worship you all day long. But most of the time I just want to screw you until you beg for mercy." A low growl was the only sound that escaped her throat.

"I love you, Mara Jade. I love you so much, it hurts." Her inner muscles contracted around him sending him close to ecstasy; he threw his head back, struggling for breath as Mara's mouth settled on his exposed throat, kissing, licking, nipping. Her heart pounded as her mind soared upwards, and she leaned her head back against the wall, her orgasm imminent. Her low-pitched scream was muffled by his mouth as he kissed her thoroughly, groaning as he finally reached his own climax. *****

The vast corridors of Cloud City were bustling as Luke and Mara made their way to the restaurant they'd chosen for lunch that day, yet no one tried to stop them or even appeared to recognize them. Perhaps it was because the city was now a popular tourist resort for the rich and famous; the local populace had seen too many well-known faces to be impressed by the Skywalkers, and other tourists were either too wrapped up in their own affairs or merely pretended to be oblivious. Or maybe it was because long capes were fashionable once more, making Luke's Jedi robe less conspicuous than it usually was. Either way, Mara appreciated being able to walk the streets without being accosted by 'admirers' and the media.

The restaurant was also busy, its many small tables filled to bursting with beings of every shape and color, the air alive with a multitude of unintelligible conversations. A solitary Bith sat in one corner playing a gentle lilt on an extended kloo horn, and a human waiter deferentially showed Mara and Luke to their table.

Mara sat herself opposite Luke with her back to the crowd, frowning slightly as he smiled at her. "What are you grinning at? Have I got dirt on my face or something?" "No. I'm just happy, that's all." "Happy, huh?" The corners of her mouth curled up and one eyebrow rose. "And why would that be, Master Skywalker?"

Leaning across the table, he took her hand in his. "Because I'm married to you, my love." "Have you been drinking?" she asked, amusement coloring her tone of voice. "No. I told you; I'm just happy." "Ah. Must be the sex then."

"Mara!" He blushed as his eyes darted to nearby tables. "Keep your voice down." She stifled a snort of laughter at his reaction as the waiter arrived with their lunch. They ate quietly, chatting about meaningless trivia and playing footsie under the table. Dessert arrived, then caf, and Mara realized she hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. She rested her chin on one hand and grinned happily as she sipped the last of her caf. "Now this is what I call a honeymoon."

"What, lunch?" "No. Well, yes." She waved a hand at him irritably. "A nice hotel. Meals out. Nothing to do but laze around. You know; a proper holiday."

"We could always rent a gym and do a little sparring," he replied. "This is supposed to be a training holiday..." His voice, his very breath suddenly caught in his throat as shock cut his sentence short. "Sith!"

"Luke? Luke, what's wrong?" She watched as his eyes widened and the color drained from his face as he stared over her shoulder, the force of the shock he was feeling almost palpable over their bond. "Are you okay, Luke?" "I ... I have to go. I can't..."

His gaze remained focused beyond her the whole time and Mara twisted around to see what he was looking at, then whipped back round when she realized he'd stood up and was working his way through the tables to the nearest exit. Dropping a handful of credit chips on the table, she hurried to catch up, stretching out with the Force as she did so. Nothing seemed particularly dangerous, yet still Luke sped away from the scene like a guilty Jawa, his cowl pulled over his head shrouding his face.

Finally she caught him, grabbing his arm and spinning him round to face her. "What the hell is wrong with you, Luke?" she demanded in a low voice. "You look like you've seen a ghost." "Maybe it was." His blue eyes met hers, the vulnerability in them making him appear half his age. "Take me home, Mara."

She paused for a moment, not quite willing to accept his curt answer, but his pain was too much for her to bear. Slipping an arm round his waist, she gently steered him back towards their hotel, acutely aware of the beings around them as she stretched out with the Force, determined to protect him from any danger.

Once they reached their destination, she quickly hustled him to their room. His continuing silence began to worry her, but she was sure he would speak once they were alone. Propelling him into a chair, she knelt at his feet, her hands resting on his knees as she watched him carefully. "Can you tell me what's wrong?" she asked quietly. His eyes finally focused on her as he became aware of the concern she was radiating. "I saw someone. Someone I never expected to see again. Someone I thought might even be dead." Her hands tightened almost imperceptibly at the emotion in his voice. "Who?" she whispered above the hammering of her heart. Who in the galaxy could invoke this reaction in the Jedi Master? She strained to hear his soft reply.

"Callista." Many thoughts raced through Mara's head in the silence that followed. Confusion, denial, apprehension, anger, fear... She closed her eyes and saw an image of Luke and Callista on the 'Hunter's Luck' seven years previously, embracing, kissing... Her eyes snapped open once more; she realized her hands were trembling and she forced them to stop. Was it possible that he could still love the woman...? "Are you sure it was her?" He nodded, one hand pushing nervously through his hair. "She looked a little older but, yes, it was definitely her."

"Did she ... Could you..." "Sense her?" Luke shook his head. "Not at all. That's how I knew for sure it was her." He turned his anguished gaze upon her once more. "Mara, what in the galaxy is she doing here?" She made herself meet his eyes as her brain went into overdrive, contemplating every possible scenario that might have brought Callista to Bespin at exactly the same time as they happened to be there. Nothing fitted. Excepting weird and wonderful machinations of the Force, it had to be deliberate. And since no one knew their itinerary, that led Mara to one, and only one conclusion. "Luke, she must have followed us here."

"Followed us? How? Where did she follow us from? She couldn't know where we were..." His voice trailed off as he caught sight of Mara's unflinching expression. "You think she's the one that's been trying to shoot us down?"

For some reason Mara expected him to be angry, to defend Callista from her unspoken accusation. But Luke was calm, as composed as he'd been before his sighting of the woman he'd once loved. His eyes left her, his gaze wandering aimlessly around the room as if searching for something. "I don't think..." He swallowed as he looked at Mara again. "I can't believe she'd do something like that. Unless she's insane or..."

"Or she's gone over to the dark side," Mara finished for him, standing slowly and placing her hands on her hips as she ruthlessly suppressed the torrent of emotions coursing through her brain. "Well, I'm not going to sit around and let her take another pot-shot at us." "What are you going to do?"

"Track her down. Watch her." She shrugged. "Meet her, if necessary." He nodded slowly but made no offer to help, just slumped in his chair and closed his eyes. Mara shook her head, annoyance creeping into the gesture. Well, he'd have to sort out his own feelings himself. All she could do was deal with Callista, then cope with the consequences. Yet still she worried; for him, for herself, and for their marriage. She squeezed his shoulder gently before making her way to the room's computer station and settling in for an afternoon's slicing.

More than an hour later, she sat back in her chair and stretched her arms high above her head as she tried to roll the knots of tension out of her neck. "Wish I had Ghent here," she muttered as her fingers settled on the keyboard once more. Her whole body jumped when she felt Luke's hands settle on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Mara." He felt her muscles stiffen as he kissed her neck. "I've been a selfish Hutt, too busy thinking about myself. Can you ever forgive me?"

Well, he was nothing if not straightforward. Slowly Mara swivelled her chair to face him, raising a questioning eyebrow but saying nothing.

He grabbed a nearby stool and sat facing her, his knees barely touching hers. Taking a deep breath, he finally met her gaze and at last she could see the love in his eyes once more. Love for her. "Mara, I can't believe I reacted like that. If I've upset you, I'm very sorry. I just ... the shock..." He scrubbed his face with his hands as he composed himself again. "I thought she was dead, Mara. Or living quietly on Chad or some other backwater planet. She hurt me, she left me, she never once got in touch. And you know the worst part? On at least one occasion I hoped that she was dead. Knowing that she was alive and cared so little about me hurt more than mourning her..." He took her slender hands in his own and brought them to his lips. Mara continued to carefully school her expression, even though she wanted to throw her arms round his neck and hug him forever. Luke Skywalker wished someone dead? Correction - had wished someone dead. She doubted he could feel like that now that he'd straightened himself out since his brush with the dark side, but Callista had obviously had one hell of a hold on him. "I love you, Mara. I always will. Please don't ever leave me; I don't think I could live with myself..."

"I'm not going to leave you, Luke." Her voice was hoarse with emotion as her hands gripped his. Was that why he'd over-reacted? Seeing Callista had reminded him of a fear he held deep within himself; that any woman he loved would abandon him. That she would abandon him? "Have you found her?" he whispered, almost reluctantly.

She shook her head. "Security on Bespin is tighter than a Jawa's purse-strings. I was just about to contact the restaurant to try to find out if she's a regular client." She watched Luke's reaction carefully. "I thought I might leave a message that an old friend would like to meet her."

He sat perfectly still, hardly breathing, his eyes fixed on hers. Finally, he blew out a breath. "Okay. I'll meet with her and find out what she wants."

"No way, Skywalker!" Mara stood up quickly and took a step away from him. "I meet with her. Me." She jabbed a thumb towards her chest. "I'm sorry, Luke, but I just don't think you can pull this one off. You're too involved."

"Mara, I have to do this. I have to speak with her," he said quietly. "Don't you see?" "I saw her twist you round her little finger before, Luke. If she's gone Sith on us, I'll bet she can do more than that now."

It took one step to put him directly in front of her, and he pulled her into his arms. "Mara, it's you I love, you I married. I want to spend the rest of my life by your side. Callista is part of my past, but it's a part I knew I'd have to face some day. Please don't feel insecure about us."

She cuffed him halfheartedly. "I am not insecure, Skywalker. I'm just being logical. Because of her connection to you, she might be more able to hide her true purpose in being here, but I'll bet she can't hide it from me. I should speak with her."

"No," he replied simply. "And I don't give a Ranat's ear for logic. I have to talk with her, just once. If she's our enemy I'll know it, and besides, there are a few questions I need answers to." He kissed her firmly then pressed his forehead to hers. "It's something I must do, Mara. And I have to do it alone."

Her lips formed a thin line as she studied his face intently. Finally she let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. "Fine. I'll try to follow you from here through the Force." She smiled grimly. "I guess it'll be good practice." "Thank you."

She turned away from him towards the comm unit. "This is always assuming we can actually locate her. If she thinks we saw her, she could be light-years away by now." *****

The following day Luke retraced their steps from the hotel to the restaurant, his heart full of trepidation, his mind roiling with a thousand possibilities. Callista had acknowledged Mara's message and agreed to the meeting, even though Mara hadn't given their names. That was enough to rouse Mara's suspicions and she had remarked at great length that she thought Luke was walking into a trap. Was it purely coincidental that Callista frequented the same restaurant as often as she obviously did? And she didn't appear to be travelling incognito or under an assumed name; Luke was still trying to figure out whether this made him more or less suspicious when he arrived at the restaurant's ornate entrance.

Waving away an approaching waiter, he slipped quietly into the main dining area and immediately began scanning the busy room. He spotted her almost immediately; a solitary brunette sitting with her back to the doorway, her signature in the Force distinctively muffled. Taking a deep breath, Luke walked carefully over to her table and stood behind the empty chair on the opposite side. "Callista."

The woman's head snapped up and he watched gray eyes widen in shock. "Luke?! Oh, my stars, it's you." The color drained from her face and her mouth opened and closed in shock, her eyes never leaving him. Eventually, she leaned back in her chair, her arms crossing over her stomach as she struggled to regain some self-control. "Well, I didn't expect it to be you."

He sat down slowly, resisting the urge to catalogue the features of someone who had once meant so much to him. She still looked very much like Cray, but the intervening seven years had allowed the person she used to be to impose on the body she now inhabited. There was no trace of Cray's blonde hair among Callista's malt brown locks, and a few delicate age-lines softened her countenance. Finally, he found his voice again. "Who were you expecting?" She shrugged, still staring at him as if he were an apparition. "Lando Calrissian, if you must know."

"Lando?" He nodded to a nearby waiter bearing a tray of water glasses and allowed him to place a long-stemmed glass before him. His mind went into overdrive, trying to assimilate as much as he could from Callista's demeanor, reactions, and words. "Yes. Lando," replied Callista. "I have money to invest and he's the first person I thought of. I contacted him; he said we should meet in Cloud City." She sipped shakily from her own glass. "He mentioned something about opening a casino here."

"Lando." Was she lying? He couldn't really tell. Nodding, Callista returned her attention to her glass, running her fingers nervously up and down the stem. "I heard on the holonet that you're married. Congratulations." "Thank you. We're very happy."

A wry smile crossed her lips as she met his gaze once more. "I have to admit, I was surprised at your choice of bride." Invisible hackles rose inside Luke, but outwardly he remained the epitome of calm. "Surprised?" Her shoulders lifted once more in a shrug. "Mara Jade. Ex-Emperor's Hand and smuggler. I just never saw the two of you together."

Luke wondered if he would ever be done defending Mara from her past. "She's a Jedi now. Her background is irrelevant." Slate gray eyes bored into him. "Do you love her, Luke?" With all my heart, he wanted to yell. She would kill for me, die for me, and I'd gladly do the same for her. She is the other half of my soul, the part of me that I hadn't realised has been missing all these years. Instead, he just said, "Yes, I do."

She gave a resigned nod and dropped her gaze back to her glass. "It seems like a lifetime since we were in love."

"You never loved me, Callista." He was amazed at how calm he felt, as the truth he'd wanted to utter for so long was finally delivered. "Yes, I did. You know I did." Her voice sounded desperate, as if she were trying to persuade herself as much as him.

"Why did you do it, Callista? After you brought the 'Knight Hammer' down, I thought you were dead. Why did you leave me a message to say that you lived but were leaving me? What was the point?"

"I don't really know," she replied miserably. "I just ... I didn't want you to think I was dead when I wasn't. I needed you to know the truth; that I'd gone to rediscover myself, to find a way to touch the Force once more."

"I chased all over the galaxy looking for you." A tiny hint of the pain he had gone through all those years ago crept into his eyes. "For eight months, I neglected my students, my family, my duty ... just so I could try to find you."

"You shouldn't have, Luke. You should have forgotten me, carried on with your life..." "If you really wanted me to do that," he hissed, "then why didn't you just let me think you were dead. Or you could have sent a message saying to forget you." Abruptly, he leaned back in his chair, sipping his water and regaining his composure. "No. You wanted me to follow you. I know that now, even though I will never understand it."

"I didn't! I ... I'm sorry." Tears formed in her eyes and she pulled out a white handkerchief and dabbed at them ineffectually.

On dozens of occasions, particularly just after he waved goodbye to her on Nam Chorios, Luke had tried to guess what he would say to Callista if they ever met again. That very morning, he had wondered how he would feel; angry, sad, betrayed ... or maybe even some kind of affection? But now he felt only pity. "Did you ever manage to touch the Force again?" he asked quietly. "Only the dark side," she said, sniffing gently. "I had an implant put in to help me control my anger, and I meditate a lot." She raised her eyes to his. "I'm not a danger to the Jedi, Luke. I can handle it."

"I know you're not dangerous," he replied. "And you know you can come and visit if you need any help. The Praxeum's doors will always be open to you."

She watched him for a long moment, gray eyes blinking slowly as they swept away the remaining tears. "Will you be there, Luke? There are some things I'd like to talk to you about..." "No," he said, shaking his head. "I really don't think that would be a good idea." He smiled weakly. "Tionne is still our historian; I'm sure she'd love to have a long conversation with you."

"But, Luke, I thought we could maybe..." "No," he interrupted, standing slowly and placing his hands on the table in front of him. "Seven years ago, you decided that our lives should continue on different paths. At the time I couldn't accept it, couldn't understand why we should be apart." His blue eyes seemed to shine as he finally found an end to a chapter in his life. "You were right, Callie. It wasn't our destiny; we would never have worked." He looked down at his hands, and had a sudden longing to be with his wife. "Goodbye, Callista. And I hope you find the happiness on your path that I have found on mine." He turned away.

"Goodbye, Luke." He never heard the whispered reply as he strode towards the door. *****

Arriving back at the hotel, he was surprised to find Mara asleep on the bed. He sat carefully beside her and for one long moment he just watched her sleep, her features totally relaxed and peaceful. Finally he reached out and moved a lock of hair that had fallen over her face. "Come on, sleepy-head. I thought you were going to follow me through the Force?" Green eyes fluttered open and she produced the smile that caused his heart to skip a beat. "I was following you. It got boring."

"Boring?! Thanks, Mara. Glad I can keep your attention." Lifting herself onto an elbow, she tilted her head to one side. "Stop pouting, farmboy. You know there are other ways of keeping my attention."

"I know." He gently caressed her cheek, smiling when she turned her head to kiss his palm. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked, her expression suddenly serious. "Is it safe to leave, or are we going to be shot down?"

Sighing, he shook his head. "No, I don't think it's her. To be honest, I can't believe she's got the courage or the initiative to try." "I notice you didn't mention motive."

"I'm not sure about that, either. She still doesn't hold you in particularly high regard, but she was pretty nice to me..." He paused. "Mara, can I try something?" "What sort of something?"

He slid closer to her and beckoned for her to sit up. "I'd like to try and show you the whole conversation. See how much you pick up."

"Sure." She leaned forward as he touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. As her own eyes slipped closed, she could feel him stretching out to her, replaying his memory of the time he'd spent at the restaurant. Suddenly there it was, in glorious color. She could 'see' the entire conversation from Luke's point of view, could 'hear' every word, could almost smell, taste and touch everything he had. She fought down the elation she felt at yet another manifestation of their bond and concentrated on the scene behind her eyes. When it had finished, she sniffed disdainfully. "It's not her." "You're sure?"

"I'm sure," she replied. "No-one can act that pathetic." She shook her head in disbelief. "I just can't believe she would come on to you like that." "She didn't come on to me!" exclaimed Luke. "Get a grip, Luke. 'There are some things I'd like to talk to you about'. She was flirting like mad."

He couldn't help but smile at the sing-song voice she'd used to repeat Callista's words. "I think you're over-reacting, my love." "No," she growled. "This is over-reacting." In one quick movement, she had pushed him over and was straddling his stomach, pinning his shoulders to the bed. "Right now, I've got an urge to go and injure that woman, but I know you won't let me. So I guess I'd better figure out some other way of working out my aggression." Leaning down, she kissed him fiercely. "You are mine, Skywalker, and don't you forget it."

Gazing up at her, he saw jealousy and possessiveness revealed in her eyes, a risky combination in Mara Jade. He reached up and slipped a hand behind her head, pulling her in for another passionate kiss before whispering onto her lips, "And you are mine. Always."

Their hunger for each other exploded over their bond and clothes were hastily removed as lust threatened to consume them both. Gentle caresses quickly became fervent strokes of desire, and they covered each other with feverish kisses. When she finally had him naked, Mara wasted no time in mounting him, growling deep in her throat as she buried her face in his neck. Her hips rose and fell in a steady rhythm as she kissed him senseless, claiming him as her own. He settled his hands firmly on her waist, thrusting as much as the position she'd chosen would allow. He shuddered violently as her teeth dragged gently over his skin, accompanied by her voice in his head... //you are mine ... you are mine ... you are mine// He released her body and tangled his fingers through her hair, pulling her towards him for another intense kiss. "I will always be yours, Mara."

As she tightened her grip on him and rocked towards her climax, she leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Anyone tries to take you from me ... they deal with me." His back arched off the bed as his orgasm hit; through the haze of ecstasy he was dimly aware of her body collapsing bonelessly on his as she yelled his name. They lay perfectly still for several minutes, their labored breathing the only sound in the room. Finally Mara slipped off to one side, pushing her tousled hair out of her eyes as a huge grin lit up her face. "Well, that was fun."

"Yeah," replied Luke. "Shame we can't just stay in bed all day." Snuggling closer, she carefully traced the outlines of his muscles with a fingernail. "What's stopping us? I'm game if you are." He grimaced. "Lando's coming, remember? And one credit gets you ten that we'll bump into him if we're still around when he arrives." "It's a big place, Luke."

He shook his head emphatically. "Stuff like this happens to me all the time, Mara. I can't go anywhere without Leia or Han or one of my friends showing up. And since we're still officially on our honeymoon, I'd rather avoid everybody." "Where do you want to go next then, my love."

"That depends on whether you feel up to a little more training, my apprentice," he replied, raising a speculative eyebrow. Propping herself up on his chest, Mara regarded him carefully. "What do you have in mind?" He grinned. "Dagobah." *****

'Sabre Dawn' - chapter five (back to chapter one) by Angela Jade Rated - NC-17 e-mail - angela@yavin4.free-online.co.uk - constructive criticism always appreciated. Flames laughed at. Feel free to post wherever, as long as it's got this spiel at the top. Disclaimer - it all belongs to Lucas. I'm making no money from this. Story - continues the sequel to my other fanfic, 'A Vision of Missing Moments'. We're going to the Dagobah system... April 2001

Chapter 5 - Dagobah

The journey from Bespin to the mist-covered planet of Dagobah proved to be relatively short and uneventful, and that was all to the good as far as Mara was concerned. Normally she loved the relative tranquility and isolation of hyperspace, but this trip had proved to be anything but relaxing.

She knew that she was being argumentative. At least disagreeing with Luke's Jedi philosophy could be seen as vaguely educational, their heated debates somewhat constructive. But finding fault with what he cooked, how he did the maintenance chores around the ship, even his choice of clothes... His hurt expression made her cringe inside, yet she couldn't stop. Barely noticeable barriers had started to reconstruct in her mind, and they hadn't made love since they'd left Cloud City.

Since they'd left Callista. It wasn't any kind of jealousy that aroused Mara's aggressive tendencies. Yes, her husband had once lived with the woman, slept with her and proclaimed his love for her. But the Luke she remembered from that period of time was unrecognizable as the man she knew now. No longer obsessed with saving the galaxy from every wannabe overlord and reestablishing the Jedi Order at all costs, he was now self-confident yet still aware that he was only a man. A man in love with her. And that was the crux of the matter.

Luke's love for her was boundless, all-encompassing, passionate... And terrifying. He loved her more than any other being in the galaxy. He would kill or be killed for her, would do anything to protect her from harm, and that scared Mara witless. Would he turn to the dark side if to do so would save her life? Would he become another Vader or Emperor, dooming the galaxy to war and oppression because of her?

Deep inside her, an even more appalling thought was brooding. Callista's reappearance had revealed the magnitude of Mara's love for her husband. She glanced at him as he sat in the co-pilot's chair, his head bowed over the instrument panel. Would she be the one that turned? "On ten," intoned Mara, her voice emotionless as she watched the hyperspace counter. It hit zero and she pushed the main lever forwards, bring the 'Jade Sabre' back to sublight speeds. "Welcome to the Dagobah system." She flicked a switch that brought up the ship's powerful scanners and leaned over to peer at the data she was picking up from the planet surface directly ahead. "Looking at these readings, you are welcome to it. Remind me why we're visiting this dive?"

Luke gazed out the forward viewscreen at the familiar planet he somehow felt drawn to, even after all these years. "Don't believe the sensors. Use the Force to land, or we'll never get out of there again." He smiled as he turned to face her once more. "And we're here so that we can continue your training."

She grimaced in reply. "And so that you can go on one huge nostalgia trip, Skywalker." "Yes. That, too." He nodded happily. "If you're very lucky, I might even make you some of Yoda's stew." A derisive snort met that comment. "No thanks - you told me the recipe, remember? I've already packed the ration bars."

Rolling his eyes, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Just land the ship, Mara."

"At once, Master," she replied sarcastically. "Anywhere in particular? And you'd better pick somewhere solid, or you're cleaning up the hull." "Solid ground? You'll be lucky." He closed his eyes and stretched out with the Force, searching for any trace of Master Yoda's lingering presence. For a long moment there was nothing, and then... "Link your mind with mine," he said.

Mara immersed herself in their bond, struggling to follow his line of concentration. It felt as if she was battling her way through high winds, doing her utmost to keep going in the same direction - something was seriously trying to thwart any efforts at Force-searching the planet's surface. Then it slowly came into focus, like a half-dead glow rod shining in the mists.

"You see it?" Luke whispered. //Yes// she replied in his mind, already powering the ship towards the spot he had indicated, her eyes closed, her hand relaxed on the flight stick.

Tentatively opening his eyes, Luke watched her as she took the 'Jade Sabre' down through the turbulent atmosphere, glancing only occasionally at the instrument panel as gauges and displays went into a frenzy of nonsensical activity. Mara's eyes remained closed in concentration, although he noticed her grip on the control stick tightened as the planetary winds buffeted them about. Down and down they went, clouds and thick, white mists blinding them completely, until tree branches and vines started whipping at the viewport. Mara kicked in the repulsors, grunting slightly as she fought the forces tugging at her ship. Finally the ship landed with a none-too-gentle bump and Mara wiped the sweat from her forehead before she opened her eyes. "Sith, what in all the hells was that?" she asked, shaking her head incredulously. "That, my love, was a damn good landing," replied Luke, grinning as he undid his restraints and checked the instrument panel. "You've even managed to hit land. Very impressive."

Mara still looked concerned. "That wasn't just gravity and atmospheric conditions, Skywalker. I've landed on more planets, moons and asteroids than you've had hot dinners, and I have never seen anything like this." The whine of the repulsors died as she shut the engine off and her voice echoed slightly in the resulting silence. "What's going on?"

"I'm not exactly sure," replied Luke with a shrug. "I know there was a huge battle near here, between Master Yoda and a powerful Sith Lord, and it left a lot of residual effects." He stood and motioned for her to follow him out of the cockpit. "I also know that Yoda spent many years shielding this place with the Force. I have no idea if that affected the planet long-term." "Something certainly doesn't want anyone to land," muttered Mara as she followed him to the exit hatch.

Luke couldn't stop a grin lighting up his face as his hand hovered over the ramp-release. "Welcome to Dagobah!" He hit the switch with a flourish.

Mara stood motionless for a full thirty seconds before her eyes widened and she clamped a hand over her mouth and nose. "What's that awful smell?! Close the hatch! Now!" "That," replied Luke, trying not to sound hurt, "is Dagobah." Tentatively, Mara removed her hand from her face and took a careful sniff, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "Does it always smell this bad?"

"Mostly," he replied with a wry grin. "You'll get used to it." "Gods, I hope not." Holding on to the frame of the hatch with one hand, Mara took a step on to the ramp. "Okay, Master-mine, what's first on the agenda?" Luke stepped up behind her and slipped his hand into hers. "First, I want to find Yoda's hut. Just to pay my respects."

She tightened her fingers around his as she felt his sadness over their bond. "Will it still be there, Luke? I thought you told me it had all but disintegrated the last time you were here." "I know where it was," he said, heaving a sigh. "I guess that'll have to do." He turned to go back up the ramp. "Let's get the gear." Mara didn't move one centimeter. "What 'gear'?"

Luke could feel her icy gaze without even looking at her. "Umm, the camping gear. I thought we might camp out..." His voice trailed off when he finally saw the look in her eyes. "I'm not camping in a swamp, Skywalker. Not when I have a perfectly comfortable ship to sleep in."

Squaring his shoulders, Luke met her steely gaze. "As part of your training I say it's necessary..." "Give me one good, logical reason for spending the night in a muddy shelter rather than in our own bunk," snapped Mara. "As the teacher in this relationship, I don't actually need to give you a reason," bit back Luke.

"As the wife in this 'relationship', I say you do." Mara took a step closer. "And don't try to pull rank on me, Skywalker. We've had this discussion before." "Mara," he replied quietly, "I don't want to fight. Not here."

Her teeth clenched against the aggression she could feel bubbling up inside herself, Mara forced her body to relax. Finally she reached out with a shaky hand and caressed his cheek. "I love you, Luke Skywalker. And I respect you, both as a person and as a Jedi. But you are not always right, and I will not follow you blindly with no reason..."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, slipping his arms round her waist. "And I wouldn't have you any other way, my love." He let out a sigh of defeat. "Okay, we'll sleep onboard tonight. I guess it's not that important, anyway."

"What's not that important? You still haven't given me your reasons for wanting to park your butt in the mud overnight."

He shrugged, tightening his arms around her. "This place is so ... alive. It's like one big stewpot full of animals, insects, birds, plants ... the Force isn't any more powerful on one planet than on any other, but here it's like it's easier to access." He grinned as he looked at her, losing himself in her eyes. "Living among nature, sleeping surrounded by nature, helps a being to become more a part of nature."

Mara smiled sweetly, her eyes twinkling. "Bantha crap. You just want to regress to your boyhood and get completely filthy, don't you." She kissed his cheek then pulled him down off the boarding ramp. "Come on, Skywalker, you can play later. Let's go find Master Yoda's hut." "I AM a Jedi Master, you know." "Yes, dear, I know you are."

"But you never do what I say!" "I do, when I think you're right. Now quit whining and let's make a move. It'll be dark soon..." *****

"This is it." "Are you sure?" Mara eyed the surrounding vegetation dubiously - they'd come across some of the local wildlife on their journey from the 'Jade Sabre' and she was in no hurry to acquaint herself with any more.

"Yes, I'm sure," replied Luke, tugging on an innocuous-looking creeper with gloved hands. It finally gave way, revealing a low wall, stained green by the plant. "The window was here, and Master Yoda's bed was ... over there."

Mara looked to where he was pointing - it appeared no different from any other spot in the vicinity. "If you say so."

"I do say so." He straightened and moved to stand beside her. "I lived here for months - I think the layout is imprinted on my brain." He carefully entwined his fingers with hers, holding her hand tightly. "I'd like to meditate for a while, Mara. Will you join me?" A smile twitched at her lips as she regarded him. "Very well, since you ask so nicely." She watched as he settled himself on the mossy 'floor', then sat cross-legged opposite him. A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Are you hoping that Master Yoda will appear to you?" Luke shrugged and wrinkled his nose. "I live in eternal hope of that happening," he said, "but if I'm totally honest, I know it's not going to. I think he's been gone too long." Lifting one leg, Mara grimaced and pulled out a sharp twig. "So we're doing this right now because..."

"You said it yourself, Mara. Nostalgia trip." Rolling her eyes, she took a couple of deep breaths before straightening her back and closing her eyes. Slowly, she relaxed and sank down towards the quiet place inside herself that she accessed when meditating. The Force surrounded her, diffusing throughout her body and mind, filling her with its power and its knowledge, and, reluctantly, Mara admitted to herself that there was indeed something special about Dagobah...

A highly polished floor, intricate tiling in the style of Old Imperial Center. A vision? Mara frowned and lifted her head - her eyes were immediately drawn to huge windows which framed what appeared to be the Coruscant skyline. "Come at last, you have."

She realized that she was down on one knee, and quickly swiveled to face the being who spoke. Twelve large chairs with identical red cushions were positioned around the room, but only one was occupied. The being was of a species Mara didn't recognize - large eyes, even larger ears, green, wrinkled skin,... Green? "Master Yoda?" she whispered.

The diminutive Jedi pursed his lips before hopping off his chair and hobbling towards her, his walking stick tapping out a slow rhythm on the tiled floor. "You expected another? Maybe Obi-Wan. Hmmm?"

He stopped directly in front of her, and Mara suppressed a shiver as his eyes bored into her. She could tell he wasn't reading her mind, yet it still felt like he knew everything about her, just from that one glance.

"So," he said at last, "you are the one the Emperor named Jade." Her breath caught in her throat and it seemed as if her heart had stopped beating altogether. "He ... he gave me my name?" "Your last name, he did. First name, your parents gave you." Stepping a little closer, he gently prodded her knee with what Mara now recognized as a gimer stick. "Your origins, your heritage, Palpatine would keep hidden."

Wiping her sweaty palms on the legs of her flightsuit, Mara struggled to keep her voice steady. "Do you know who my parents were?" "Important to you, is it? The identity of your parents?" His gaze seemed to intensify, his ears lowering. "Be sure, you must, that you want to know. The discovery of one's origins, a great burden can it be."

Mara's eyes never left his, drawing comfort from the intelligence she saw there. Yes, she had often thought about her biological parents, wondered if they were good people, or even if they were still alive. She had vague recollections of a mother figure, a petite woman with dark hair and startling blue eyes - yet she couldn't remember a voice or a name, or anyone that could be her father. Occasionally, she had searched the NR and the old Imperial archives for information, always in vain.

More recently, especially since her marriage, she had come to terms with never finding out who her parents were. She was Mara Jade, she had been brought up in the Imperial Court and she was now a Jedi Knight. Nothing she could discover about her ancestry could change the person she had become. Did she really want to find out the truth now, when she was still coming to terms with all the other changes in her life? Her heart said yes, but logically... "No, I don't think I'm ready for that information yet," she whispered. "Maybe some day, but not now."

Yoda pursed his lips again and nodded once. "A wise decision. The past is of consequence, but mindful of the present you should be. And of the future." Turning away from her, he hobbled back to his chair. "Besides, that is not why I sent for you." Mara stood and followed him, eventually sinking to the floor in front of him as he settled himself in his seat. Somehow she knew she couldn't sit in any of the other chairs - each one seemed to radiate its own kind of pain. "I don't remember being sent for." "Obvious, that much is. For fifteen years I have been calling you. Took your time, you did. Hmmm?"

"I never heard you," she said softly. Yoda blew out an irritated sigh. "Thought it would not work. If another Jedi you had known, a Jedi who had passed on, sent them, I could have." "The only Jedi I knew then was Vader."

"And I could not send Anakin," said Yoda with a shake of his head. "Still, here you are." "Yes." She looked up at him, unable to contain her smile. "I'm on my honeymoon. I married Luke." Small, wrinkled lips curved upwards and Mara would swear his eyes twinkled. "That much, I knew. Pre-ordained, it was."

"Since when?" Two eyes blinked solemnly at her. "A date you want, hmm?" "No, I..." She hung her head, still smiling. "I just wondered. It took us a long time to come to terms with it ourselves." The gentle tap of a gimer stick on her shoulder made her raise her face once more.

"For a long time, sense you, I could not. Many had been killed, wiped out in Palpatine's holocaust. Obi-Wan and I, we pinned all our hopes on the son of Skywalker. He was our only hope."

Mara strained to hear his muted voice, shivering as the truth of his words struck home. "And you were right," she whispered. "He defeated the Emperor and brought Vader ... brought Anakin back into the light."

"Yes. That he did." Wriggling slightly in his chair, Yoda pulled his robes tighter around himself. "When first he trained with me, learned fast, he did. Strong was Luke, powerful in the Force. Like his father. But also impetuous. He saw a vision of his friends in danger and left. To save them, he thought."

"He told me," said Mara quietly. "He realizes now that he was wrong, that he should have stayed." Yoda nodded slowly, then leaned forward conspiratorially. "The night before he left, a vision I had. Of you." "Me?"

"At Palpatine's side, you were. Walking, talking. Sense the power of the Force in you, I could. It was then that I knew. Luke was no longer our only hope. There was another." Swallowing hard, Mara could not break the hypnotic gaze that held her in its thrall. "Then you placed too much hope on me. I couldn't have defeated the Emperor. He was my master. My liege." She hung her head. "I would have done anything for him. I certainly wasn't strong enough to break from his control."

"Hard to see, the future is. Even harder, possible pasts." The gimer stick gently touched under Mara's chin and tilted her head up until she was looking into Yoda's eyes once more.

"You are of the light, Mara Jade. Do not forget, do not lose faith. The Force will be with you. Always." Large eyes blinked slowly. "The path you walk with your husband will not be easy. Difficult times, dangerous beings, will you meet. You must trust him, just as he trusts you. Train. Dedicate yourself to that which you fought for so long." Letting out a sigh, Yoda leaned back in his chair. "Future of the galaxy may well depend on it."

Her eyes narrowed as her breath caught in her throat. "Is this a warning? Is that why I'm here?"

"No. Here you are that I may meet the woman who will continue the line of Luke Skywalker." Mara almost choked as his words sank into her brain. "Children? Are you saying we're going to have children?"

"Perhaps." He giggled as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "And now, go you must. Trust in Luke. Trust in yourself."

"I will, Master Yoda..." A quiet darkness enfolded her in its gentle arms...

I love you, Mara. She blinked and inhaled sharply, wrinkling her nose as the stench of Dagobah assaulted her senses once more. Luke's smiling face swam into her field of vision. "You were out for ages, my love. It's not like you to meditate for longer than me," he said with a smirk.

"I ... umm..." She shook her head lightly, trying to clear her mind of the lingering vision. Finally she grinned. "I love you, too."

Hunkering down in front of her, Luke ran a grimy finger along her jawline. "Are you okay?" "I had a vision, I think," she replied quietly. "Yoda came to me."

"He came to you?" Luke struggled but couldn't quite hide the disappointment in his voice. Mara was immediately aware of the sadness clouding his blue eyes. "I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't talk about it."

"No. Talk." Luke swallowed the hurt and smiled encouragingly. "Tell me what happened." "Not a lot, to be honest," replied Mara, reaching out a hand for him to pull her upright. "Apparently we were destined to be together."

"Destiny, huh? Figures." Elbowing him gently in the ribs, Mara continued. "I think he gave me some kind of warning. Said we have to trust in each other. That I have to continue my training and dedicate myself to the Jedi."

"Good. I'm glad we agree." "I thought you'd like that bit," she said quietly. "Oh, and it was the Emperor that named me 'Jade'."

"What?! I thought Mara Jade was your real name." "It is," she replied, glaring at him. "My parents named me Mara, and Jade is the only surname I've ever known. I am me. You know that."

Concern enveloped his soul. "Did he mention your parents?" "No." Tugging his arm gently, she pulled him back towards the encroaching jungle. "I'm starving. Let's get back to the ship and I'll tell you all about it over dinner." ***** Something wasn't quite right - something was ... missing. Luke slowly opened his eyes, his hand brushing over his naked, cold chest. Cold - that was it. He'd fallen asleep with his wife in his arms, and now she wasn't there. Pushing himself up on his elbows, he stretched out with the Force and quickly located her... "Outside?"

Frowning, he slipped out of their bed, quickly pulling on his rough-spun brown Jedi robe. Something in Mara's mood had changed since her vision of Yoda. The hostility and antagonism she'd shown since Bespin were still there - Luke had decided early on to ignore it and let her work it out herself. But now her belligerence was being overshadowed by her distress. And much as Luke was grateful that she had stopped arguing with him at every turn, he hated seeing her upset.

The exit ramp hissed down slowly at his touch on the control and Luke peered into the darkness beyond. The Sabre's landing lights projected an eerie glow over the surrounding area, including the hooded figure facing away from him at the edge of the clearing. "Mara?" "I'm okay, Luke," she replied without turning around. Her Jedi robe was almost identical to his, the cowl pulled over her face. "I just couldn't sleep."

Taking a hesitant step forwards, he tried to sense her mood. "You should have woken me. I'm sure I could have found a way of tiring you out."

He could feel her spirits lift even as she shook her head and leaned forward on the enormous fallen tree that lay in front of her. "Do you ever think of anything apart from sex, Skywalker?"

"I didn't mention sex once, Jade," countered Luke as he took several careful steps towards her. "That's just your filthy imagination at work again."

"Maybe." She let out a huge sigh, loud enough to be heard even over the noise of the surrounding jungle. "You were right, Luke." "I was? About what?"

"This planet. The whole environment. I just feel so ... alive." She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, the movement of her hips stirring feelings in Luke that he was desperately trying to suppress. Maybe he did think about sex too often. But his wife was always so ... distracting.

"And you were right about something else," Mara added. He stood directly behind her, gently laying one hand on the small of her back. "What was that?"

"The smell. You do get used to it." He smiled in the half-light and started rubbing small, soothing circles on her back. "Why are you out here, Mara? Come back to bed."

"It's like you said, Luke. Getting close to nature. Living, dying..." She threw him a glance over her shoulder and a sharp emotion over their bond, "...mating." Sucking in a deep breath, his hand drifted towards her rear. "If that's what was bothering you, you could have just woken me. You didn't need to drag me out here." "I didn't feel like this until I left the ship," she whispered, smiling as his hands began to caress her thighs. "I came outside for some air, before I remembered what the air was like out here. And I wanted to think."

His hands drifted lower, outlining her legs through the rough fabric as his own arousal continued to make its presence felt. "And are you done with thinking for a while?" "For a while, yes." Her voice had become husky as her throat constricted and her breathing shallowed. "In fact, I'd really rather stop thinking now, and just feel."

"That can be arranged." Slowly, gently, he began to lift her robe, deliberately caressing her legs as he did so. As his hands slipped over her buttocks, bunching the coarse material on her back, she let out a gentle groan and grabbed the stump of a branch in front of her. Luke could feel his own arousal increasing as he uncovered more and more of his wife, her skin smooth and cool to his touch. Leaning down, he pressed a row of kisses along her spine, his hands slipping round her to caress her breasts. Her scent filled his nose, her sighs filled his ears, and the whole galaxy shrank down to just the two of them; everything else was peripheral. //Don't do that.// she silently admonished him. //Expand your feelings. Sense everything.// Her thoughts and emotions whispered clear and true in his head, and he nuzzled her back as he deliberately stretched out again with his mind. //You see?//

He gasped. //Yes!// With startling clarity, he could sense every creature, every insect, every plant ... even the planet itself as it turned slowly about its axis. He immersed himself in the essence of life, of blood pumping, molten rock flowing, hearts beating, sap rising... His hand slipped between her legs and stroked her folds, pleasuring her and preparing her for their inevitable joining. And it was inevitable. They were both in the thrall of the power of existence, reveling in life for its own sake.

She shuddered as he entered her from behind, a single powerful thrust as he gripped her thighs to hold her steady. "Yes! Oh, gods, yes!" she growled, her hair spilling out of her hood as she dropped her head forward onto her arms.

His thrusts fell into step with a tempo only he could hear, Mara's moans of pleasure playing a counterpoint to his own. The sound of his pulse pounded in his ears as he closed his eyes and lost himself in the rhythm of life.

She rarely let him make love to her like this; she preferred to see his face, to lose herself in his eyes and to accept passionate kisses as she drank in the scent of his body... but this time, it seemed right. Every nuance of his movement was obvious to her, from his breath on her back to his feet gently toeing her legs further apart. The firmness of his grip as he held her thighs. The heat of his body every time it came into contact with hers. And the wonderful, glorious feeling of his manhood inside her, stretching her, stroking her, compelling her towards a zenith of sensation. He moaned her name, low and animalistic. Her orgasm exploded inside her.

They sank onto the mossy ground, tired and sated, yet somehow revived. Words of love were whispered in between gentle kisses.

"Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry," whispered Mara, tears finally allowing her the emotional release she'd been needing for days. "Sometimes I don't know why you put up with me." A serene smile on his face, Luke tenderly pulled a muddy lock of hair from Mara's cheek and placed it behind her ear. "I love you, Mara. I love you more than anything..." "Don't." She pressed a shaky finger against his lips as she tried to contain her anguish. "Don't say that." Her finger slowly followed the outline of his lips before her eyes met his. "Promise me one thing, Luke."

"Anything." "Promise me that you will never turn to the dark side. Never. Even if it means my death." He pulled her into his arms, more than one tear trickling down his face and vanishing into her hair. "Is that what's been bothering you? Mara, I will never, ever turn to the dark side, no matter what." He loosened his grip so he could gaze into her eyes. "And neither will you. Not with me by your side." "Do you promise?" "I already have. Don't you remember?" He cupped her face in his hands. "I promise I shall always be faithful, loyal, honorable and true, and when times are dark, I will stay with you in the light. This is my vow as a Jedi."

Mara sniffed, grinning as she recognized the words. "Our wedding vows?" "Of course," replied Luke quietly. Mara's hands reached up to caress his face as she repeated the words burned into her heart. "I promise to remain faithful, honorable, loyal and true, and when times are dark, I shall stay with you in the light. This is my vow as a Jedi."

"See? That wasn't so hard." Slipping his arms around her back, he kissed her, gently at first and then more fiercely as she returned the kiss. "I love you, Mara Jade Skywalker," he whispered against her lips. "I love you so much that it hurts."

"I know," she whispered back. "And it frightens me. But I'm not going to run away from it any more."

"Glad to hear it." "And, Luke, I don't know if I'll make much of a wife, I mean, it's not like I've got any good role-models..."

"I don't want 'a wife', Mara," he said with a grin. "I want you." He swept a finger over her cheek, smudging the tracks left by her tears. "Come on, my love. I think we need to shower." "Tomorrow," replied Mara, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand. "Right now I just want to sleep."

"Sounds good to me," said Luke, pulling them both upright. "Let's go back to bed." He smiled at her lack of protest when he swept her into his arms and started carrying her back to the 'Jade Sabre'. He paused when he reached the ramp, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you." "You're welcome. What are you thanking me for?"

"Persuading me not to camp out in that muck. There are much better ways of becoming attuned to nature."

Mara rolled her eyes and pressed her face into his neck as he carried her onboard. "Skywalker, you are incorrigible."

***** To be continued (eventually)...